Words of Encouragement

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD. "Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate. "Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, 'Let the sword pass throughout the land,' and I kill its men and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. "Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath upon it through bloodshed, killing its men and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness. - Ezekiel 14:12-20

Ezekiel. Judgment Inescapable. God speaks to Ezekiel about the condition of a country. He says if that country sins and he cuts off the supply of food in that country and the people begin to die and Noah, Daniel and Job were there, they would be the only three that would survive.

Not only that, but they could not save anyone else other than themselves. They could not save their children or families, but they alone would be saved. He says if he left the country childless because a wild animal came through and desolated the land, these three would still be the only three standing.

When you read this scripture it sounds almost depressing! Yet, let us look a little deeper into its verses. This country could also represent our churches, our homes our communities. If all that are in these places are not obedient to the will of God, he will judge as he sees fit. The message for us today is this, God's judgement is inescapable. If God were to remove the "food" from the land, we would die. That food is his presences, his Spirit. If His Spirit does not dwell with us because of our disobedience, we will be as the land filled with famine and dying. Yet, you can take encouragement even in this midst.

The encouragement is this, God is going to save those that are obedient to him. He will save those that speak his truth and have his vision (Daniel), those that are faithful through the trials (Job) and those that are preparing a refuge for the faithful (Noah). He will not let his faithful die in the famine, because he will not remove His Spirit from them.

He will not allow his faithful to go "childless" when the wild beast (the deceiver) tries to come through and destroy. Yet, you might say, but the scripture said they cannot save their own children, so how will they not be childless? What the word is telling us is this, every man stands accountable to God. My children cannot trust in my relationship with God to save them. They must have one for themselves. If the faithful own children do not obey the will of God, he will allow you to "graft" in others that will become your spiritual children. That is what he said about the people of Israel. If they being the chosen people, branch refuse to obey then God would graft in a new branch (the Gentiles) and make them his people.

So in the midst of the land that is disobeying God, I can still have hope that someone will listen, someone will be faithful and someone will continue to make refuge for God's people that do not bow down to Baal. When the sword comes to destroy or to cut through the flesh, the faithful will not be destroyed. The word of God is a doubled-edged sword cutting through the lies and falsehoods of our lives. When you are a faithful one of God His word does not harm, but it builds up. For the unfaithful it becomes a judgment to them, because they have not obeyed it.

The plagues, of the land will not destroy the faithful because God will keep them. The disease of sin will not overtake the faithful because they have trusted in the cure for all that would destroy. God's faithful will be able to stand in that time of judgment. I'm not talking only about the judgment that comes in eternity. God still judges even right now! He does it not to destroy as we said on Monday, but to draw people to himself.

Today my prayer is this, Lord we know that your judgment is inescapable. You start first at those that call themselves the children of God and at the house of God. Lord thank you that you will provide a way of escape for those that trust you.

Words of Encouragement

People look for answers in many places. Some look to reading about their "signs". Some look to readers, fortune tellers. Some look to others that will tell them what they want to hear. Yet, we must do as Joshua did and say, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. And when we do, we must look to the "Hills, from whence cometh our help". Our Help comes from the Lord.



"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! " 'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer him myself. I will set my face against that man and make him an example and a byword. I will cut him off from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD. " 'And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD.' " - Ezekiel 14:6-11

Ezekiel. Whose Answer will you Believe? God's answer to the people regarding their sinful condition is a simple one, repent. Turn from all the things you are doing that are against the holy God. God's answer through the prophet is if anyone has the nerves to come to seek something from me (other than forgiveness) in their sinful condition, I will answer them myself.

What will his answer be? The answer is I will punish the wicked for their wickedness. I will do this to turn them back to me. And then the answer goes on to warn do not come to a prophet seeking something that will sooth you and make you feel comfortable in your sin. Do not look for "Cotton Candy" messages to help the taste of your sin to feel good in your mouth. If a prophet is tempted to tell you lies to make you feel better, they too will have to deal with the punishment for disobedience.

What does this have to do with us today? Things are very similar today as in times of old, and that is because people are still people. Some people go to church but only to have that form of godliness so they feel better about what they are doing. They do not come seeking messages that call them to change, grow or examine their lives, deeds and thoughts.

Instead, they are looking for messages that simply feel good, that is why I call those messages "Cotton Candy". You cannot grow on cotton candy. It may taste good, but don't depend on that to make you strong. God's message is also to those that preach the word of God. He is not sending messages from his word just to make people feel good about where they are. His messages are to encourage us to live right and know that he has provisions for us to do so.

The question then for us today is the same one then, whose message will you believe? Will you believe the messages that tell you God is just happy and pleased with you no matter where you are and what you are doing? Or will you believe the message that God wants a holy people, set aside for him and his good works? I encourage us today to listen to God's message of come and receive of me so that you can become all I have ordained you to be.

I pray for us today that we would seek God's answer to what our lives should be about. Give us ears to hear.

Words of Encouragement

When we turn our hearts away from God toward other things that would take his place, we put ourselves on a slippery slide and the only way is down! Have you ever tried to climb up a slide when it's wet. It's really difficult to do. That's our lives. When we try to climb back up the slipper slides we have gone down, it is impossible without the help of God, who comes and makes the way straight.

Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols. - Ezekiel 14:1-5

Ezekiel. What shall I tell you? Some of the elders of Ezekiel's time came to him to inquire about the things of God. The strange thing is, God's assessment of these elders is that they are not obedient to him. So then why would they seek a prophet about the things of God, when they do not obey the things of God?

When these elders come to Ezekiel what is the response that he is instructed to give them? God tells the prophet to tell them because they have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces when they come to a prophet, God will answer himself. When God answers, he is doing it to recapture the hearts of the people.

What does this really mean to you and I? It is clear that it God knows the heart of man and that is what determines how he will answer our seeking. We may go to church looking to be made to "feel" better, but if our hearts are set or determined not to obey God, he says he has an answer for us. He does not answer you so that you will feel better, but his answer to you is to recapture your heart and turn you back to him.

What can I say to you? Must have been the thought on Ezekiel's mind when addressing these people. Yet there is nothing he can say other than, repent and turn to God for this is his will for you.

This week as we look at Ezekiel, may we see God's words speaking to us clearly. Today Lord if there be anything that I have allowed to creep into my heart that causes me to set up idolatry there, remove it. If I have turned in such a way that has allowed that which is in front of me to be a stumbling block, help me to remove it. Help me to turn back to you so that I can come and hear clearly from you the words of Life. Speak to my heart!

The Week in Review

Research Study By Jewel D. Williams
Titled: The Life of a Healthy Church
Written: 2006

How we lead as a church results in what we really look like to the world at large. What a church looks like to a visitor speaks more than we think it does. What the building looks like, tells those that come, how important it is to the congregation. If it has chipping paint, bad bathrooms or poor sound systems, visitors will not come away with a good impression of who we are. Yet, this is not a new idea to keep God’s house in good working order.

“Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink; but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:2-6).

The author points out that for any changes to happen, they must come from leadership first. It puts a big responsibility on leadership, but it will not take root unless leadership is one hundred percent for the process.
One of the principles given by this writer states “Let’s practice what we preach and put thorns in our laurels” (36). In this principle the authors point out that we tend to rest on our laurels – accomplishments of the past. “By putting thorns in our laurels, we learn not to rest on them. Just because a church has been effective in the past doesn’t mean it will be that way in the present or future” (36). The authors also state, “Talk, talk, talk. It’s easy. It’s cheap. It sometimes fools us into thinking we’ve done what we talk about. It keeps us busy, so busy that we have no time to implement what we’ve discussed” (44).

Another principle that our church needs to look at is principle number six. It states, “Invest the time and money to teach, train and retrain people to develop their skills and to implement quality ministry methods” (40). We tend to take people because they are willing and put them into positions of leadership or responsibility without preparing them for success. We tend to believe the Holy Spirit will help them. While this is true to a point, we are still required to learn how to do the job well. It is the responsibility of those in leadership, for example, to ensure their teachers are equipped to teach. “Churches seem so quick to put people into ministry roles with little or no training, and then we wonder why people aren’t more effective” (40). Scripture addresses this well when it states, “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).

Principle nine states, “Build a team mind-set to avoid departmental barriers” (61). “The goal is to get us thinking and acting like a single team instead of many little teams” (61). Another difficulty we have is some are only concerned about their auxiliary and that can lead to conflict. “Inflexibility is one of the worst human failings” (101).
There are reasons that a leader may be enticed to base their ministry on selfish pursuits. These pursuits, however, will only lead to failure. For a biblically based foundation, the first place that one must begin is in the word of God. “It demands that we begin with God and the Bible rather than man and culture in order to understand God’s will in ministry” (Mayhue, 11). God’s word tells us “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). To have a successful ministry, one must look to God to understand his or her purpose, and depend totally on God for the strength to carry out the mission.

In the book, Natural Church Development by author Christian A. Schwarz, he lists several characteristics that are needed to produce a healthy church. He lists as the eight characteristic needed to grow a healthy church as, empowering leadership, gift-based ministry, passionate spirituality, effective structures, inspiring worship service, holistic small groups, need-oriented evangelism and loving relationships.

To understand how important these things are, we first look at what statistics show us is important to individuals as they are looking for a church home. The first was the pastor/preaching at 90%, the second was doctrines at 88%, friendliness of members at 49% and after some other listings he states sensed God’s presence/atmosphere of Church at 37% (21). These statistics show us what we need to do to become more effective in what we do. Let’s look at some of the characteristics.

Cited work / source documents

Boa, Kenneth, Th.M.; Ph.D. Leadership Development. 2005. 4 April 2006. http://www.Bible.org.

Church Growth and Health: Church Growth Principles. 2007. 25 January 2007. http://Webct.macu.edu

Gildea, Spike, Ph.D., et al. The American Heritage College Dictionary. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.

Keathley III, J. Hampton. Marks of Maturity: Biblical Characteristics of a Christian Leader. 2005. 28 March 2006. http://www.Bible.org.

Longman, Jr., Robert. Spiritual Disciplines and practices. 2005. 28 March 2006. http://www.spirithome.com/spirdisc.html.

MacArthur, John, et. al. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005.

MacArthur, John F., Dr. The Call to Church Leadership. 1986. 4 April 2006. http://www.biblebb.com.

McGavran, Donald A. Understanding Church Growth. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970.

Piper, John. The Marks of a Spiritual Leader. 2006. 28 March 2006. http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/leadership/marks_spiritual_leader.html.
Rainer, Thom S. Surprising Insights From The Unchurched. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.

Regele, Mike. Death of The Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

Rheenen, Gailyn Van. Biblical Foundations & Contemporary Strategies: Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.

Schwarz, Christian A. Natural Church Development. St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1996.

Simpson, Sandy. The Duties of Christian Leadership. January 11, 2005. 28 March 2006.

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/dutiesofchristianleadership.html.

Stowell, Joseph M. Shepherding the Church. Chicago, IL: Moody Press. 1997.

Toler, Stan And Nelson, Alan. The Five Star Church. Ventura, CA: Regal Books. 1999.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc., 1988.

The Week in Review

Theme: Women charged by the Spirit
Preached Metropolitan Church of God
Detroit, MI, 2007

This is the final piece of the message:

If you Love Me
I knelt to pray today and to tell God of my love.
When I finished, God’s voice spoke to me from above.
Yes my Lord, here I am, allow me to see.
You are not finished, is his words to me.
But Lord, I exclaimed in despair,
I have asked for all, so what more is there?
Where is the evidence that you love me today?
Your sister with the small child, for her, did you pray?
Have you prayed for me to watch over her day?
Have you prayed that I direct her way?
I bowed my head, No Lord.
Have you offered her a meal, she’s too tired to cook her own?
Have you encouraged her, she’s feeling overwhelmed and alone?
Have you prayed for the woman whose marriage is in an uproar?
Have you prayed because she is ready to give up and say No More?
I bowed my head, No Lord.
Have you shared your life with the sister who feels she’s not known
Have you hugged and prayed with her, so love is shown?
God asked me, how do you prove your love for my way?
I began to weep over how much I had wandered away.
I bowed my head, I could only answer, No Lord.
I repented of my sins, when I returned to my knees.
My position, Lord I will no longer leave.
Forgive me for not encouraging and equipping others,
I replace my armor and stand in the battle next to my sisters and my brothers.
I will not pass my armor to another, I take my place in the army of the most-high God.
So as I rose to my feet I said,God I love you, but now I go to the battle to show you.

Words of Encouragement

They were preparing for what seemed like the end, the setting of the "Son". He has given his blood for the offering for man's sin. Yet this is not the end, it is only the beginning. The "Son" would soon rise! Have you allowed the "Son" the rise in your life?

No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them." Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, "Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?" - John 7:49-51

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. - John 19:38-40

Nicodemus. From Night to Light. The first scripture is during the time the Pharisees were seeking to get Jesus and we see Nicodemus step forward and defend Jesus by asking the question of doesn't he get a chance to speak for himself.

In the last scripture we see Nicodemus stepping up with one of the disciples of Jesus (who had not been one openly for fear) to seek his body to prepare it for burial. This same Nicodemus that had come to Jesus under the cloak and veil of night comes opening to seek Jesus. He comes this time not to ask questions but to give unto Jesus.

He comes this time bringing gifts. He comes bringing a gift of myrrh just as the wise men had done at the birth of Jesus. This time it is for the burial of Jesus. He comes to service Jesus out of his own wealth.

The scripture does not tell us that Nicodemus had become a follower of Jesus, yet we can see that something about his late night talk with Jesus changed something in him. He had not rejected Jesus. He defended him in front of the chief priest when before he didn't even want any of them to know he was seeking Jesus. He had become a secret friend to Jesus, even if he had not become a constant follower.

He comes openly to ask for Jesus' body to prepare him, when Jesus' own close disciples that walked with him were no where to be seen because of the fear of what may happen to those that followed. These two that were afraid to be known to have relationship with Jesus in life, became those willing to be associated with him in his death.

It would seem to me that something did indeed change in Nicodemus. He went from the fear of what others would think to being bold in his stand. He went from the night to the light. He went from an encounter with Jesus to serving him. He served Jesus in this capacity, that he was willing to come and prepare his body for burial.

What then can we learn from Nicodemus? It becomes an encouragement to know that words spoken to individuals about being born again are not always falling on deaf ears. Sometimes individuals can walk away and it would seem that is the end of the story. Yet, God has not finished the work on them. He is working something out in that individual. They may have come asking questions in the night and God is working to bring them to the light.

While they may not have been willing to show relationship with Jesus openly, there is coming a time when they will be bold in their commitment to his death. The will come and boldly serve him from all that they have.

Again, while we do not have that a conversion happened in Nicodemus, we can see that a work was going on. It is also an encouragement to us not to give up on people.

God has his way of working out the process that sometimes take time. It is our responsibility to keep praying that God's words he speaks to them in the "night", in their hidden states would grow and come to full growth. When one day they can step into the light, into the Light of Christ.

I pray for us today. Lord, you are worth all our praise and worship. Lord thank you for taking the time to teach us and to reach out to us in our darkened state. It was not our own doing but you reaching to us that we too were changed. When we go to worship this week, help us to be an example of Jesus for someone seeking you.

Words of Encouragement

When a student goes to school to learn, they do not already know all the information in the text. Some of it they may know but they do not know it all. At they study, practice and meditate on the information, understanding comes. It is the same with the word of God. We do not know it all, but as we study what is in the text we can began to understand it with practice, meditation and the help of the Holy Spirit.

I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:11-21





Nicodemus. The Truth of God. We left off yesterday with Nicodemus still not understanding the message Jesus was trying to give. We have here Jesus telling Nicodemus what one must do to be born again.



He uses an example that Nicodemus would understand. Nicodemus would have heard about and learned about what Moses did with the snake in the wilderness. That when the people looked upon the snake after they had been bitten by one, they would be healed. Jesus uses this example to express to Nicodemus a spiritual truth through a earthly example. That truth is that when the sting of sin is upon your life you will not live until you look up to the one that can remove the poison of that sin and that is Jesus. Jesus is the way to the Father and the redeemer of man.



Even though Jesus tells Nicodemus that you do not understand, he tells him this truth anyway. Why do you think Jesus did that? I believe it is Jesus showing us to sow seeds even if the ground may not seem ready to receive it. We have no way of knowing what God will do to the soil to prepare it.



We do not see from this scripture how Nicodemus received this seed. I wondered about whatever happened to Nicodemus after this and if you don't know you'll be surprised that he did not just drop off the scene. We'll look at what happened to him tomorrow.



But for today, let us rejoice in the fact that Jesus will give us his truth, even if we are not ready or able to comprehend it all right now. He gives it to us because he wants all to have the opportunity to hear the truth and to be able to make a choice on what they will do. Because of this, no man can say that God has been unfair in his dealings with them, for God is just. For God will make sure that every man hears and what we hear, we are held accountable to.



Lord help us to not only hear your truth today, but help us to understand it, and accept it. Help us not to simply walk away from it.

Words of Encouragement

When you look at this picture you "see" the water, but you cannot see the wind. The evidence of the wind is the kite that is blowing over the water. Lord help us to "see" the evidence of your Spirit at all times.

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? - John 3:6-10



Nicodemus. By God's Spirit. Nicodemus could not understand what it was that Jesus was speaking when we left yesterdays scripture. In today's lesson, Jesus continues to teach Nicodemus.



Here, Jesus teaches of the two types of birth. The first, the natural birth many understand when a mother gives birth to a child. That is flesh bringing forth flesh. The second, the spiritual birth, many do not understand that is why Nicodemus was confused.



The spiritual birth is done through the spirit bringing forth a new "child" in what was once only a fleshly one. Jesus goes on to say that the wind blows where it pleases. You know it is there because you can hear it but you cannot see it. You have evidence that it exist but you cannot see it.



It is the same with the Spirit of God. He is there even if you cannot see him. The evidence of his presence is the change he makes in the lives of people. The evidence of his presence is seen by the fruit of the Spirit. (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, - Galatians 5:22).



This is how one is born again, by the Spirit of God. He calls all to whomever the Lord sends him to call for and he changes whomever the Lord instructs. It is not done because of good works, right attitudes or good living, it is all by the power of God through his Spirit.



Nicodemus still could not grasp this understand and says so. Jesus' response to him is, you are a teacher in Israel and you do not understand. We have to understand Nicodemus represents many today. There are those that have great acclaim yet do not understand it is not in their status, or their own power that they are able to understand the kingdom of God.



Yes, God can use all those things to his glory, but they are not the source of our understanding about God. It is plan and simply it is by His Spirit and His Spirit alone.



I pray for us today and rejoice that Jesus took time to explain this mystery to Nicodemus so that you and I could also understand. God thank you for teaching us and giving us the opportunity to know the truth. May we gain the wisdom of God as we release ourselves into your capable hand.



NOTE: Look at yesterdays blog just below to see my tribute to my daughter who will be soon departing for school.

The Amazing Grace of God

This is my Joselyn. I wanted to say I am thankful to God for his wonderful gift to my husband and I. Our oldest is about to go off to college and I wanted to send her off with love. This song is special, because it is the one I sang almost every night before my girls went to sleep.

Words of Encouragement

Can this abandoned land restore itself? Can it begin to produce new life without any help? No. Someone has to come and pull out the stones, the hard areas. Some one has to come and turnover the soil and plant the right seeds after they weeds are removed and then it has to be tended to. This is the same with us. We cannot restore ourselves without the help of someone else. That help comes from the Lord. His power will remove the stony heart and turnover the soil so the right seed can be planted. Then he will give us his Spirit who comes to tend the garden to let us know when weeds try to get in so they can be removed.

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. - John 3:3-5

Nicodemus. Can I be Born Again When I am Old? Jesus continues speaking to Nicodemus regarding his statement that Jesus is a good teacher. Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to see the Kingdom of God, he has to be born again.

Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus is talking about. His question of how can I be born again when I am old? How can I go back into the womb? This must seem such a strange thing for Nicodemus to understand. He is looking at this statement from natural eyesight.

Jesus' response to Nicodemus' question is he explains it again with more information. He tells him that to see the Kingdom of God one must be born of water (cleansing) and Spirit (indwelling and sanctifying).

Do you think Nicodemus truly understands yet? Even though Nicodemus is a Pharisee and therefore verse in the Law he still does not understand the mysteries of God.

Isn't that us sometimes? We sometimes become verse in our traditions, our customs, the rules that we govern ourselves with, but stop short of understanding the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

This is because in order to truly understand God's Kingdom we must be one with the Master. His Spirit is what helps us to understand all truth. His purpose is to guide us into all truth. We miss the great understanding of the mysteries just as Nicodemus did.

We forget the simply truth that we must be born again in order to understand the path of God. It is not our works, our standing, our abilities or gifts that give us understanding and wisdom about God. I am about to begin working on my Masters of Religious Education in a few weeks but I tell you this truth, it is not my education that helps me understand the Kingdom of God. As soon as I begin to think it is, I'll be off the mark. What helps me to understand (which is the same for all of us) is my relationship with the Father through the Son.

God's Spirit has been the one guiding me in all truth even though my path took me going to school. Others may never step into the doors of a college or seminary but they can still understand the mysteries of God, because it is by His Spirit.

Today, my prayer for us is that we seek God to know what we must do or what might be standing in our own ways from us understanding the mysteries of the Kingdom. Lord help us, because even though Nicodemus didn't understand, he did not stop questioning. Help us continue to seek you for those things we do not understand so that you can give us the wisdom we need.

Words of Encouragement

Many things are done in the "dark" under the veil of night. That is because individuals are trying to be hidden so that no one will see what they are doing. Yet, there is nothing hidden from God.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again - John 3:1-3


Nicodemus. Coming in the Night. In this chapter of John we are told a short story about a man named Nicodemus. His story is so short that you may think, what is the reason for even telling it? If you have read the Bible often or if it were your first time picking it up, you will understand no telling of an event is meaningless.


The scripture starts off giving us the detail of Nicodemus' station in life. He is a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a group that were extremely influential in Jesus' day. Their views were based on the Old Testament and their own oral traditions, both of which were considered equally authoritative. He was also one on the ruling counsel of the Jew's.

The Pharisees at this time were hostile toward Jesus because they felt he was lax with respect to their laws, was too accepting of sinful people, and was open to contact with Gentiles. The also believed he made blasphemous claims about himself and his relationship to God. Jesus on his part opposed them because of their legalism, their hypocrisy, and their unwillingness to accept the kingdom of God as represented by him.

So this is who comes to Jesus at night, one of the pharisees. The question is, why did he come at night? Why didn't he come in the morning when Jesus was in the midst of his teaching and talking to individuals? Why come at night? Could he have come at night so as not to be seen? Maybe he did not want to be seen by the others that were rejecting Jesus.


While he is not bold in his coming to seek Jesus, it is important to note he came. When he comes he makes a statement, we know you are a teacher from God because of the works that follow you.


Jesus does not waste time doing a verbal dance with him, he gets right to the point, he tells Nicodemus, you have to be born again in order to see kingdom of God.


What has just happened is this. Nicodemus has come at night because he is intrigued with what he sees Jesus doing, but he is still in the "dark" about who Jesus really is. We know Jesus knew this based on his answer to Nicodemus.

What can we learn from this? There are those that are intrigued by the things of God but are not yet willing to step out in the day and openly seek God. So instead them come in the dark, in the night when no one else will see them. Yet, Jesus still waits for them. Jesus did not leave because the work of the morning was done, he waited for his appointment with Nicodemus. God is waiting for us as well. He is waiting for us even if the work of the day seems over, it never ends for God.


I pray for us today, Lord if there is someone that is not yet openly coming to find your answers, help them find them nonetheless. Help them find an encounter with you so that they will be able to come openly to worship you.

Picture Gallery

Even though my life has had many difficult places, I am thankful for where God has brought me. This day we celebrated with my father, Jewel Clough on his 75th birthday. I watched as each of his children, grandchildren and great grand's stood to tell him, they loved him. As I say this, I said Lord help me to live so that my family will someday be thankful that I was a part of their lives.

Week in Review

Sisterhood! It is a wonderful thing. We can share and make each other laugh and we can be there when times are hard. This is not an accident. God calls us to encourage each other. Let us be about our Father's business.

Theme: Women charged by the Spirit
Preached Metropolitan Church of God
Detroit, MI, 2007

What does it mean to be charged? Charged – excited (eager, energized, animated), stimulated (inspired, stirred, moved, motivated, encouraged), electrified (exhilarated, amazed), thrilled (delighted, overjoyed, pleased, ecstatic).



So the day you gave yourself completely to God was the day, he said, I empower you with my Spirit. My Spirit will transform you from the misfit you were, to the mighty vessel of honor I have ordained you to be. I now charge you to go forth. I give you a mandate. I want you to go forth in the excitement of my spirit. I want you to stimulate, inspire, and stir the hearts of men and women. I want you to motive and encourage the people and move them to taking a closer walk with me. I want you to amaze with the transformation that has happened in your life, because no one can heal the brokenness of your heart the way God can. I want you to be overjoyed in me, pleased to do as I say and delighted to be my servant, my child. I charge you.



There are some of you right now that God has given a vision of what he wants to happen in your life, but you have hidden it because you can’t believe it can come to pass. Let me tell you, nothing, I say nothing is impossible with God. I stand here before you, a picture of what God can do. I did not like to talk in front of people and I surely could not image he would want to use me for anything. Yet, next May I’ll be graduating from Mid America Christian University with a 4.0 average. A girl who was told she would never be anything or was stupid, but God said I have the last word on that. A girl who didn’t think she could speak well or could write well, in a few weeks my first book will be available. God said I have another plan. Remember you are never God’s second choice! Whatever the world says you’ll be is not what God says. He has the final word on our lives.

Let’s take a look at one other transformed life, Mary Magdalene. “And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him. And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out whom went seven devils. And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.” (Luke 8:1-3)

What do we know about Mary Magdalene? She was a woman sick and possessed. She was not in her right mind, who could be possessed with seven demons? She was infirmed or sick; if not from a physical illness surely from the sin in her life. We know that Jesus healed her of all that possessed her, he set her free from the sin that she was entangled in he released her from her island of misfits.



While we do not know a lot about Mary’s beginnings, we do have more information about her latter part of her life. She was a woman that had met the savior and had felt the beauty of his touch on her life. The ugly life she had before had been transformed into something beautiful. The ashes of her life were now turned into beauty. She was able to come with other women that had been changed by Jesus and minister in his work. Mary also came with others to prepare Jesus’ body after he was crucified (Mark 16). It said they came early in the morning at the rising of the sun. As I thought about this, instead of them coming to the rising of the sun, they came to the find the risen son. They came to be part of the witness of Jesus’ resurrection. Mary had been a witness to his treatment and his crucifixion. Now she would be a witness to his resurrection, she would be able to tell others about the power of Christ to raise lives from sin and to transform them. She would be able because she had been one of those people transformed and now she was united with other transformed women to see what Jesus needed. These women came to prepare the body of Christ for burial, well we, as transformed women today need to band together and be about the service of God and we then become like those women that were preparing the body of Christ for burial. This burial isn’t an actual burial, but as we help others be transformed we become help in the burial of their sinful condition and then the rising of the son in their lives can be witness by us as we walk together. Are we transformed women about the business of the savior are we looking to see how we can serve Jesus?



What is God’s plan for your life? He wants you to know you do not have to be the best of the best to come to him. He doesn’t expect you to be good at anything. He doesn’t choose us based on what we have or what we think or what positions we hold. He simple says come as you are, that means with your brokenness, your hurts, your fears, and your issues. And when you come, he says, I will heal you. I will restore wholeness to you. He takes the brokenness of our lives and creates the beauty inside. He takes those things in us that are pleasing to him and he cultivates them and shapes them. Those things that need to be removed, he removes until we look more and more like his Son.



But he doesn’t do all this so you can keep this transformation to ourselves; he wants us to go find those other misfits that are in need of a savior. The beauty of the body of Christ is we are all a bunch of misfits that God put together and made us work in unity. We become like that band of women in the scripture working together for the purpose of Christ. That can only happen with the power of God.



My question to you then is this; do you want to be a woman charged by the spirit of God? Then come and yield yourself completely to him. Allow him to transform your life from what it is to what he wants. If you have a relationship with Christ then ask God to revive you for the mission he has especially for you. I cannot fill your place, only you are the one. See it was thought that someone else was going to be here today, but I was God’s first choice all the time. We are never second choice for God. We are always the ones he has called to do the work he has called us to do. Today, rededicate yourself to the work of the Lord. You were once a misfit, but God changed you into a vessel of honor. So he says go to the uttermost parts of the world and find those other misfits and bring them into the kingdom. Help someone know that they have a place with God. We have someone that seeks us and ask us to be his disciple. We have been given a great honor, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Are you charged for the journey? What if you are a misfit? Do you know sitting right in your midst is your light? There is another woman sitting here ready to hold you hand through the darkness and help you find the light of Christ. They won’t judge you, but love you as you allow God to heal your hurts and brokenness. You have to first accept the gift of salvation that God offers freely to you today. When you do, he will give you his Spirit so that you can make it in this world, and he bonds you with others so that you no longer have to walk alone, you have a home, a place to belong. You are wanted, and no longer an outcast, a misfit. I leave you with this poem I wrote as God spoke to my heart one early morning.

Week in Review

Research Study By Jewel D. Williams
Titled: The Life of a Healthy Church
Written: 2006

Church leadership requires one to dedicate him or herself to the work of God. To minister in a leadership capacity with success, one must understand what they are being called upon to do. Two web sites, www.bible.org and www.biblebb.com try to help the leader understand what they are being called upon to do.

The first web site, www.bible.org writes about leadership development. Kenneth Boa, Th.M.; Ph.D., is the writer of the article, Leadership Development. In his article, he uses Jesus as the example to use as a guide for being a successful leader. Boa explains that Jesus picked his disciples and then for the next three and a half years, he taught them and empowered them for ministry (p. 1). He explains that God did not need man as a part of the plan, but it was God’s purpose to use men from the start.

“First, they were well-trained” (p. 2). When Jesus sent out the seventy-two they were given instructions on what to do and how to handle things if there were not received well. Jesus did not leave anything out of their training. Their training was what had the seventy-two rejoicing when they returned with good news of their success. The devil’s powers were stopped because of God’s power working through them. This is important to know and understand that it is through God’s power that all work is done. When one prepares God’s way, the work can be done.

“Second, they had a clear vision: They were impelled by Jesus’ urgent declaration that ‘The harvest is plentiful’” (p. 2). A great leader must take the responsibility to define a clear picture of the mission. “Leadership is not merely a cognitive grasping of concepts…Leadership, like most things, is more caught than taught” (p. 2).

An important fact mentioned is that Jesus took time to prepare for his mission. “Our Lord developed as a servant leader through personal discipline, through ‘reverent submission’…Jesus never invites us to do something he has not done for us first…He doesn’t ask us to love unlovely people without having first loved us in our unlovely state. He does not ask us to serve others without having first served us” (p. 3).

“God has called us into being and is preparing us for a purpose” (p. 3). God is in fact calling us to a purpose but the process is not guaranteed to be an easy one. “The hardships and struggles we endure during the transformation process will eventually provide us the strength we will need to accomplish the tasks our transformed nature will require” (p. 4).

The last point Boa mentions is mentoring is mandatory. “Leadership development should be an ongoing process in our own lives as well as in the lives of those we seek to prepare. We should have multiple mentoring relationships” (p. 5). These relationships consist of the one being mentored, to also reach out and teacher someone else. In these mentoring relationships, the one being mentored will be able to learn from one-on-one contact and experience. This is what Jesus did for his disciples. He took them with him and showed them how to be great leaders.
Those in leadership must develop spiritual disciplines that allow their life to be seen as an example of holy living, and this is mandatory for exampling to those they are training. J. Hampton Keathley, III in his article, Marks of Maturity: Biblical Characteristics of a Christian Leader states, “Being a godly example is not an option, it is commanded in Scripture.

We need Christian maturity that provides people with real honest-to-God examples of authentic Christ-like living. Effective ministry to others is often equated with such things as dynamic personalities, with talent, giftedness, training, enthusiasm, and with Charisma…Much more is needed. In the Bible, the qualities that lead to effective ministry are found in the elements of spiritual character, in the character of Christ reproduced in us by the ministry of the Spirit” (p. 1-2).

The goal of spiritual disciplines is to be more like Christ. In doing so, the minister (leader) then becomes an example for others to emulate. These disciplines help the minister in personal development, which helps their ministry as well as their home life. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). This scripture gives the minister/leader a clear understanding of their purpose. One is to follow Christ in all their ways, and then the minister becomes an example for others to see Christ. This is the true purpose for developing one’s self for the mission.

What is discipline? The American Heritage College Dictionary defines it as, “the training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior. It is controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control” (p. 402). The web site, Spirithome.com states, “Spiritual disciplines help to keep our relationship with God in good working order, and even help develop intimacy…Disciplines and practices are tools that are a part of cooperating with the Spirit on the task of remaking us into what God wants us to be” (p. 2). Spiritual disciplines are necessary to sustain a life in ministry.

Having a healthy prayer life is important for all believers, however it is vital for the minister/leader to dedicate time to prayer. The minister’s prayer life needs to cover prayers for themselves as well as for his or her ministry. James E. Rosscup, one of the writers included in the book, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically states, “We show we are fools, setting ourselves up for mediocrity, emptiness, and disaster unless we devote ourselves wholeheartedly to prayer” (p. 143). If one is to be successful, the time must be taken to hear from God regarding one’s life and ministry. It is necessary to prepare one’s self by praying for God’s wisdom, guidance, and strength.

God is the one that will strengthen the minister when faced with difficult situations or circumstances. Piper states it this way, “But finally, we must ask how a person comes to be willing to spend time with and be open to the Word of God? The answer seems to be that we must acknowledge our helplessness…This means that the beginning of spiritual leadership must be in the acknowledgement that we are sick who need a physician…And as we read the wonderful promises that are there for those of us who trust the doctor, our faith will grow strong and our hope will become solid” (p. 2).

This leads to another important duty one should do in conjunction with their prayer time, and that is the study of the Bible. It is important to seek God’s answers in the pages of the Bible. One can receive direction for living as well as for how one should pray from the pages of the Bible. John Piper, the author of The Marks of a Spiritual Leader writes, “The hardest part of the missionary career, Mr. Taylor found, is to maintain regular, prayerful Bible study. ‘Satan will always find you something to do,’ he would say, ‘when you ought to be occupied about that, if it is only arranging a window blind’” (p. 3).

Cited work / source documents (For entire paper)

Boa, Kenneth, Th.M.; Ph.D. Leadership Development. 2005. 4 April 2006. http://www.Bible.org.

Church Growth and Health: Church Growth Principles. 2007. 25 January 2007. http://Webct.macu.edu

Gildea, Spike, Ph.D., et al. The American Heritage College Dictionary. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.

Keathley III, J. Hampton. Marks of Maturity: Biblical Characteristics of a Christian Leader. 2005. 28 March 2006. http://www.Bible.org.

Longman, Jr., Robert. Spiritual Disciplines and practices. 2005. 28 March 2006. http://www.spirithome.com/spirdisc.html.

MacArthur, John, et. al. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005.

MacArthur, John F., Dr. The Call to Church Leadership. 1986. 4 April 2006. http://www.biblebb.com.

McGavran, Donald A. Understanding Church Growth. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970.

Piper, John. The Marks of a Spiritual Leader. 2006. 28 March 2006. http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/leadership/marks_spiritual_leader.html.
Rainer, Thom S. Surprising Insights From The Unchurched. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.

Regele, Mike. Death of The Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

Rheenen, Gailyn Van. Biblical Foundations & Contemporary Strategies: Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.

Schwarz, Christian A. Natural Church Development. St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1996.

Simpson, Sandy. The Duties of Christian Leadership. January 11, 2005. 28 March 2006. http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/dutiesofchristianleadership.html.

Stowell, Joseph M. Shepherding the Church. Chicago, IL: Moody Press. 1997.

Toler, Stan And Nelson, Alan. The Five Star Church. Ventura, CA: Regal Books. 1999.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc., 1988.

Words of Encouragement

The winds were blowing and a storm was coming towards this beach in Miami, yet it did not hide the beauty of the area. We sometimes miss the beauty of God because we allow things to come in the way of us seeing it. Lord help us to always see your beauty.





Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the LORD began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed. When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. - 2 Chronicles 29:27-29





Worship is...consecrating yourself unto God. Hezekiah had become king at the age of 25, yet he moved with wisdom and not the folly of youth. He reestablished the temple of God.





He sent in the men to cleans the temple of all the things that were against God. They removed the things that had angered God and began to restore the assembly "God's way".





After everything was cleansed, they then went into the temple to worship the Lord. When they did, the scripture says that everyone did. The entire assembly worshipped together in praises unto the Lord. All were submitting themselves to God.





I don't know about you, but my heart leaps at the picture I see of that. All God's people coming and letting go of their own agendas and placing themselves in the hands of God simply to worship him.





The ending verses of this scripture reads, "So the service of the temple of the LORD was reestablished. Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly"





As I read this my thoughts were, "the church was the church!" So many of our churches today have gone away from the things that are pleasing to God. We have established our ideas and programs with the exclusion of the Lord's direction. In doing so, we have angered God because we have defiled his temple, his church.(not the spiritual Church, but the local congregations).





What he is calling for today is some leaders that will step up, young or old to return his people to a right relationship with him. He is calling for some cleansing, for some consecration of his people. He is desiring us to come and truly worship him because when we do, we will follow after him, his way.





The beauty of obedience unto God is that he will reestablish the place where we worship. If the Spirit of God is not present where you are, maybe it is because God is not pleased with how you worship him. What we must do is just as Hezekiah did and remove the defiled things. This must start first at our own physical temples (our hearts) and then within the fellowship of God's people.





Today, Lord I humbly seek you to help your people see the need to let go of those things that keep them from experiencing true worship with you. Help us let go of ideas, practices and traditions that stand in the way of you having complete control. Lord God we worship you. We seek to see you in the splendor of holiness. You are high and exalted, let us see your beauty. Help us this day to humble ourselves and obey you. Let us come to worship.

Words of Encouragement

It was my father's 75th birthday celebration.  We honored him and each of his children, and grandchildren and grads came and told what he meant to them.  We honored him.  If we can honor our earthly fathers, how much more should we come to our heavenly father and thank him for how he has taken care of us and what he means to us. (This is my niece and her husband and their family coming to honor their grandfather and great grandfather).

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, - Psalm 95:5-7







Worship is…humbling of one’s self. The psalmist gives a reminder of the wonder of God. He says that the seas are his because he made them. His hands formed the dry land and because of it, we must come before him and bow down and worship him.









We bow down because we realize who is the ultimate one over all things. One of the attributes we come to appreciate about God is that he is the great “maker” of all things.









He is our God and when we acknowledge this we will come and humble ourselves. One show of humbling is when we here his voice…what will we do? The verse ends there but in the eighth verse it says we will not harden our hearts to God as was done before.









The message for us today is that true worship calls for a humbling of our selves before God. There is only one master and we are not it! We must remind ourselves who is in control of our lives and in control of our future, and that is God. This will not happen until we come to a true place of worship before the Lord. It is in those places that we realize the need to humble ourselves against our own ideas, agendas and desires. We reminded ourselves of who is the owner of the sea and the dry land. Who is the great maker of all, it is God so surely he should have control over all that belongs to him. Do you belong to him?









If you do, then cry out today “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord” as you bow down before his presences. Lord today, we pray that you would show us your glory and the richness of your beauty. Lord help us to humble ourselves before you so that we can experience this richness that you have waiting for us, for you will not fight with us to show us your power and majesty. Help us worship you, your way.

Words of Encouragement

As you walk along the sands on the beach or along the desert places, you have to think about the creator of all this vast world.  Do you ever stop to simply worship because of the beauty of God's world? (Sketch by Joselyn L. Williams).

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. - 1 Chronicles 16:28-30



Worship is...honoring God.  The instruction is quite clear in these verses.  It says, "ascribe" to the Lord.  The meaning of this word means to give credit, assign or attribute to.  So the word says to give God what he is due.  He is due our praise because of his glory and strength. 



He is due honor because of his name.  Bring an offering and come before the Lord and worship him in the splendor of his holiness.  What a great privilege to be given by God.  He allows us to come to worship before him.  In that time we are to ascribe to him those things that are worthy of his name.  He is to be given the honor that is worthy of who he is.



You and I would not be able to come and enjoy the splendor of God if he did not open this way to us.  It is saddening to see those that do not understand the gift they are given to be able to come and worship the Lord.  To take for granted his presence and his love for us.  To simply put something else before the privilege to come and worship is simply beyond my understanding.



I pray for us today that we would appreciate the gift we have been given to come before the Lord of Lord and the King of Kings.  The joy we recieve when we worship the great God of the universes.  Lord today we stretch our hands to you and we open wide our hearts to worship you.  We desire more of your glory this day.

Words of Encouragement

Signs are every where to help us navigate where we are going. We are thankful for the signs around us. We should be just as grateful to God's signs (His Word), which tell us how we should walk in this way of a Christian.



Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; - Deuteronomy 12:3-5

Worship is...Done God's way. The children of Israel were about to go in and take possession of the land that God had promised them over the Jordan. The Lord gives them the requirements he has for them to worship him. He tells them do not do as you are currently doing, just as you want to do.

Instead he tells them when you go into the new land what I want you to do is worship my way. Go in to the new place and remove all that the former occupants have set up. Remove their altars, their sacred stones, and their idols.

God says not only remove them but wipe their very names out of this place. In other words, do not leave any trace of them every being here before. He does not want to be worshipped in the way that these people worshipped their gods. They have had many gods and many rituals. God wants to set the standard and he wants it followed.

He tells them you will seek a place where I want to dwell among the people and to place my alter of worship there. In the end of this chapter God tells them not to worship in the detestable ways of the other nations and he also tells them to keep his commands and do not add to them or take away from it.

If you do not receive anything else from this chapter in the scripture, you have to see that God takes how we worship him very seriously. He does not want us simply doing what we want contrary to his will.

The question then is how do we know what God wants? The best way to find out what God wants from us as people is to ask him. As simple as that sounds, we often side step this guideline and we try to do things in our own understanding and our own way. The reason the people were given such details in what to do was because God did not want them blending different things into the worship of him because he will not share his glory with anything else.

A sure way to miss the presence of God is to try and blend in things that are contrary to God. This is also true for us and our temples. God gives us instructions because he wants all the former things removed from our lives. He wants all these things removed because we cannot dwell in his promised land alongside the former occupants of our lives. You know those former occupants; sin, anger, lust, envy and the like. All those old things we "worshipped" have to be put out of the place where God wants to dwell, or he will not dwell in that place.

Worship then is us loving God enough to obey his commands and not changing one thing he gives us to do. We don't add to it because we think we can do better and we don't take away from it because we think it won't work. We simply trust in what God calls us to do, and we do it.

I pray for us this day that we would come to worship God simply as he ask us to do.

The Week In Review

Healing The Hurts of Women

Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:”

There are many women looking for dreams to be fulfilled. What happens then, when those dreams aren’t coming true? How do women handle it? What are the things we are searching for but because they have not been fulfilled we are faced with sorrow and are looking for the solace or comfort to our disappointments. What happens is many women become disillusioned and they begin to harden their hearts so that the pain will not be so hard. They begin to build walls around their hearts. What can remove those “walls” we have that keep us from reaching fulfillment to our dreams? Do you see yourself? And if so, what steps can you take to break down the wall?

What is preventing you from moving forward? What things may be causing a blockage for growth in you?

* The Lord doesn’t seem to be answering our prayers in our time frame. So instead of thinking it maybe because he has some work to do in us first, we believe he is not listening, so we get stuck where we are.

* What wounds have your received from life? - Did you feel like a blessing or a burden to your parents? Did you feel like a delight or were you wounded by physical or verbal abuse? These things can be a blockage from keeping us moving forward because we cannot see past these things in our life.

* What lies have you accepted? – You are not important. You have to earn your love. You are only worth love if you do everything right. Something is wrong with you. This lies we accept as true come from many areas in our life and until we place them before God, we cannot grow and move forward.

* What judgments have you made? – Have you made a judgment based on your anger or hurt and have allowed that to grow and fester in you? How can it hinder you? It keeps you from seeing clearly the truth and what happens is you begin to react from that area. You become caught in that area.

* What expectations have you developed? – Because of who you are, no one will love you. You will always have to take care of yourself, because no man will. Where could those expectations have come from? When life situations has taught you that you are of no value, it is difficult to move from this place without God’s Spirit revealing the truth of who you really are.

* What walls have you built? – Walls are built to protect, but they keep out everything, good or bad. What might be a wall that you have built inside of you that is hindering you from growing? Expose what is behind it and watch the healing come forth.

* What inner vows have you made? – We make vows based on past hurts and our resolve to keep it from happening again. We make vows such as, I’ve trusted before and I was hurt, so I won’t trust again. What vows have you made that are to protect you from hurt or rejection? These vows even though they seem good, are really walls that we have placed around our hearts that need God to remove them so that we can have a new heart.

* What unconscious messages do you send? – These messages are what we have recorded based on our hurts and our experience and we play these out as if they are a taped message on a recorder. Messages of you’ll reject me, everyone else does. You begin to live out this message, again and again. What messages do you send? This may take prayer and seeking God to truly show you what are your secret messages.

How do you get rid of those things listed above as they apply to you?

* We begin by being HONEST with ourselves and bringing everything to God for he knows what’s on the heart of all men. – Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: Psalm 139:23

* We CONFESS and SEEK God’s direction on what is inside. - Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. James 5:16

* We begin to pray to receive the Love of God. God’s love is the healing balm we need to apply to all of our situations and conditions. – There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:8

* Pray for the lies that we have accepted as truth to be slain on the cross and for Christ’s freedom. - And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

* Pray for repentance of any condemning judgments you made. You also must forgive those that have hurt you even if they are no longer living, because you are carrying that burden within yourself. – Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Luke 6:37

* Pray to God for the strength to let go of practiced expectations or behavior. – Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

* Pray for the walls to be torn down. Those walls that keep us from receiving and getting what’s on the other side. This will not happen in ourselves, only the power of God can remove that which hinders us. This may take some time of meditation on our parts so that we can “go around” and understand what the walls are. – By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. Hebrews 11:30

* Pray for authority over the inner vows taken. As long as those vows are allowed to rule, you will not have a life according to God. – For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son man. John 5:26-27

* Pray for the old messages that misdirected the heart and blocked God’s plan to be removed. It is then when you can walk in the newness and the freedom of God. – But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Sprit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. II Corinthians 3:14-17

* Walk in the prayers we have prayed. We begin to have hope in those things even though they have not come to be yet. – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:1, 6b

TO DO: Let us begin the process to receive God’s complete healing of ourselves so that we have nothing that hinders us from walking in the abundant life Christ has for us.