Words of Encouragement

Just as we would love to get away to enjoy a beautiful surrounding, so should we feel like this when we have the chance to get away with God to spend time in his presence.

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. - Luke 9:28-31



What Changes us? Prayer changes us. Jesus had gone away from the crowds and the other disciples, but he took 3 of them with him. He went up on a mountain to pray. The first thing that jumps out at me from this scripture is that Jesus took himself away from the everyday, busy things to pray. He removed himself even from those that he spent time with, his disciples. It is a reminder for us today, that if we want to see somethings change, we are going to have to remove ourselves from some things and set ourselves aside to pray.



The second thing is Jesus went up on the mountain. While this may be only the telling of a location, it gives us some spiritual insight. Jesus moved upward to pray. You and I must move ourselves in an "upward" position before we can begin to pray. That means my mind, my actions, my focus must all move closer to God, upward. Then it states, he prayed.This point reminds us that we cannot begin to pray until we make some adjustments in our thinking if we want to see a change. I must make an adjustment in what I am seeking if I want to receive from God.

When Jesus was praying, it says the appearance of his face changed. This part of scripture is know as the transfiguration. Jesus was changed and Moses and Elijah appeared speaking with Jesus.The spiritual significance of this scripture is important for us to grasp. You and I can expect to see a change in our "faces" when we draw closer to God in prayer. Prayer takes us into the presence of God. There is no way for us to be in his presence, without reflecting his glory.





The question is what changes us? Prayer has a way of changing us. We move from "us" focus to "God" focus.We must take this steps as set out in scripture, we draw away for a time with God, we then move upward in our thinking and our actions which means we have to make a shifting in what we do. Then when we pray, it draws us into the presence of God.Today, Lord change us through prayer. Help us in our time of talking to you, to reflect more of your glory.

The Week In Review

Destined for Greatness

(Preached at Langley Avenue Church of God 2/17/08)

You were fearfully and wonderfully made so that God could receive the ultimate glory from your lives. The greatest thing you must do is seek him to find out what his will is for your life. If you don’t you set yourself up to become just another statistic. Is that what you want for your life? Well it isn’t what God wants. He took his time to form you in your mother’s womb because he knew that his destiny for you was greatness. I’m not talking about stuff. I’m not talking about big houses, and fancy cars, and lots of money. I’m talking about greatness God’s way. In each of you God determines what your greatness is, but you have to seek him to find out what it is.

See people, even if they mean well might look at what you hold and think they are worthless rocks, but God looks at them and sees giant killers. Some might look at your life and see you as an unknown, no great story to tell, but God looks at you and says you are favored (like Mary) because you have been chosen for a purpose that God wants to fulfill only through you.So today, I ask you, what do you choose? Do you want to step into the path that God has for you? You can make that step today. If you don’t know the Lord you first have to accept the gift of salvation so that God can anoint your life with his Holy Spirit and plant in you his purpose for your life. That is only the beginning. There is a process that must follow.

Don’t get discouraged if things don’t turn around quickly. If you confess Jesus as your savior, don’t let the devil tell you, you are not saved. Accept by faith and move as he leads. If you are saved, but simply have not figured out what to do next, then seek God for his direction so that you can begin to walk in the purpose he has just for you. So that he can anoint your gifts so that you can take your place and use your talents for his glory. You are destined for greatness, not because of who you are, or where you’ve been, or who you know, but simply because of who God is. Another awesome thing about God is this.

What if you are living a life a statistic right now? You don’t have to stay that way. God can forgive any transgression, which means sin and move you from a statistic to sanctified. He can move you from a sinner to saved. You are destined for greatness because you are fearfully and wonderfully made. So today, allow God to anoint you and begin to reveal to you what his purpose for you is. And then through whatever bitterness you might face, it is only to sweeten the completion of what God wants to do in you. Don’t allow the circumstances and situations of life to make you doubt that God wants to do something with your life. Hold on to his hand and turn your back on the negative but turn to God instead. He is the one that formed you in your mother’s womb, so he knows what he destined you for. Will you allow him to lead you to your purpose? Sometimes when I preach, I like to end with a poem. I wrote this in 2005, take a listen.

The Journey

From your very beginning, God knew

He had a plan and a purpose just for you

He is calling you from that place of sin

And your walk, your journey will begin

He will show you his wonders and delights

He will show you how to do what is right

He will comfort you in your sorrow

He will be your hope for tomorrow

He will show you joys unspeakable and full of glory

He will help you to write your life’s story

He will be the light, which lights your way

He gives you new mercies for each day

As you reflect on your yesterday,

You can kneel in reverence to pray.

You can say, Thank you God for your footprints before me on the ground,

Thank you for helping me to never, never turnaround.

Thank you God for your strength that will protect

And God, me you never neglect

Thank you God for your promises are true

You said it and you are able to see me through

Thank you for removing all doubt and fear

Because of it your way is made clear

And as I continue to run this race,

Help me be in my rightful place.

So that those that come behind me,

Christ’s reflection in me they will see.

Go find God’s purpose for your life!

The Week in Review

Invest in Your Marriage and Reap the Benefits

Marriage & family, God’s Plan

1. The first step in investing in our marriage is to seek our happiness and joy from the right source.
2. The second step in investing in our marriage is seeking our roles through God.
3. The third step is having a forgiving heart.
4. The fourth step is making marriage a priority.
5. The fifth step in praying for one another.
6. The sixth step is to remove all out clauses.


Sometimes when I talk to married people, they have a "out clause" in case things do not work. The belief (often among saved people) is if things do not work out and I am not happy, I can get out of the marriage and try again.


This is a dangerous belief to have, especially as a believer. This is not the guideline for marriage as set forth by God. Yes, I know that there are some situations that causes individuals to leave (safety purposes for example). This is however, not the truth for every marriage.

What God calls for the believer is to give their marriage over completely to him. When we do, we serve a greater purposes of showing the world what God is capable of doing for those that love him. God gives us hope and if we trust him there are a few steps he gives for us so that we can hold onto that hope. The first thing is we need to remember our spouses are human and they are touched with the selfishness of the human. The second thing we must remember is we too are humans and if we want to be forgiven for our wrong choices, we should be ready to forgive. The third and last thing is we should remember that God can change every situation.

We must seek God to keep our marriages strong. This is why we must remove all out clauses or defeat clauses. Are you ready to allow God access to your marriage?


For the current installment, go to the http://home.comcast.net/~inhisword/site/
 and look under Family First.

Words of Encouragement

Like Moses, God uses everyday people to lead his people. Like Moses, we too sometimes think, can I teach your people? Can I lead your people? Like God's answer to Moses, it is the same with us, I will go with you. This is me at a women's conference in Dallas. I taught three conferences on raising healthy children. And truly I thought, what can I tell these women? Yet God used me and many women came back later and told me of the blessing God gave to them. Praises to God!


Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." - Exodus 33:12-14



My Communion with God. Instructs me. Moses has been given an awesome challenge by God. I can call it awesome because any thing that we are told to do by God, can only be accomplished by the awesomeness of the one giving it. Moses understands this because he ask, who will go with me to do this great thing you are telling me to do.



Moses also understands something else, that he will not be able to do this great thing unless God teaches him how to do it. He knows he is not capable of the task. This isn't a pity party, but wisdom that lets you understand this is far greater than myself. If God is with me then I will be able to handle the awesome task.



God gives Moses reassurance of his presence. He tells him I will go with you and then he promises I will also give you rest. What an unusual answer, don't you think? Not really. What God promises is he will be with Moses and he does not have to worry, or fret, but he can be secure in the knowledge that the heavy task will be accomplished by God. That is the promise of rest God is giving to Moses. Don't worry Moses, I've got it handled.



This is what we too can receive when we go to our time of communion with God, instruction for our life's journey. God will be with us and he tells us, don't worry, I got it. I've got the difficulty handled. The problems in your finances, I've got it handled. The problems in your family situations, I got it handled. The problems with your health, your job, all your burdens, don't worry, I've got it handled. You have found favor with God because you are his child and his promise is that he will go with us and he will teach us his ways. He wants to teach us his ways so that we will not sin against him.



This is all the benefits that we receive with our communion with God. I end this lesson this week with this vital point, all the things listed this week are the benefits for our communion with God, not the purpose however for it. The true purpose for our communion with God, is simply to have time with the one that loves us. Not just so that we can receive answers, or give our list of desires, but just to get to know him. God sets the agenda for our time and in that time he wants to answer us, teach us, restore us, and purify us.



Let us thank God today for wanting to spend time with us. Lord thank you for loving us enough to want to talk to us and to teach us. Help us to always realize the importance of time with you.

Words of Encouragement

This butterfly, which was once a caterpillar must go through a pressing in order for it to come out of it's confinement. If it does not press, it will not be able to fly. God allows our confinements so that we can press our way out so that we are able to be free to soar.

Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. - Psalm 71:19-21



My Communion with God. It restores me. I like to be transparent, because it helps people know they too can make it. This scripture is for me today. Sometimes going through something can really weigh you down and make you feel tired from the burden of that thing. Sometimes you battle so long that even when you see some light coming, it is dimmed out because you have to start something else and it feels like you're back where you were, starting all over again.



If people knew what was on our minds, they would hear us thinking, "Lord, when will this end?". Oh we don't want to voice it, because, well we are afraid of looking "unspiritual". Yet, I am thankful that some one in the scripture was willing to be transparent and pen how heavy the burdens were. If the writers had not said how discouraged they were, we would not be able to find out how they found encouragement.



Well today I come to share with you, that while I might feel burden and sometimes discouraged, I am thankful that God allows me to use it to encourage someone else. I can encourage you because in doing so, I find courage myself. I am too reminded that God will not wait forever before he comes to take care of us.



God will restore us. He will remove the bitterness of our situations and bring comfort into our lives. He will also increase our honor. While we are going through, we don't always feel honor, but in those time of communion with God he reveals to us that he is honoring us by allowing us to show the world who he is in the midst of difficulty.



Today, if you are feeling down and need to be restored, get away with God. Talk to him and listen to him for he will encourage your hearts. Lord, today we need to see you. We need to see you present in our everyday life situations and circumstances.

Words of Encouragement

Like a flowing water that does not become stagnant, neither does the word of God. It is like the water that rushes over us and cleanses our hearts from all wrong thinking and acting.


Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. - 1 Peter 1:22-23



My Communion with God. It purifies me. As believers we often believe that the only work that needed to be done, was done. However, what we do not realize is that we need to come daily to God for him to direct our thoughts and to give us the strength to "kill the flesh". We were purified when we were saved from our sins. What takes place in our time of communion with God is he "refreshes" us.



The blood of Christ covers all our sins and we are saved. Yet, we in this body must still contend with the desires of our flesh. The self still wants to have its own way and do its own thing. That time with God will refresh us with new strength to be able to die daily to the desires of our selfish flesh. It is the truth of God's word that purifies us.



The Holy Spirit equips us through the word which purifies. The Holy Spirit continually grows that seed that has been planted within us. We grow each time we allow the word to purify us, change us, direct us and correct us. Each time we allow the word of God to permeate who we are, we grow.

This is one of the reasons we need to come to a time of worship and devotion with the Lord. Otherwise, we will grow weak and become spiritually anemic. We will not be able to overcome the desires of the flesh for selfish gain if we do not spend time in the presence of God.



Today, I pray that we do not neglect our time with God. I pray that when you spend time with him today, he will refresh you and help you to continue to "die daily".

Words of Encouragement

What does it mean to "rest" in the Lord? Image yourself after busily handling a hectic day, to now be able to let go of those cares and simply relax. You don't have to think about trying to solve everything or take care of everything, you just take the time to rest. You rest your mind and your body. Well when you rest in the Lord, you rest your mind, your body and your spirit. The hectic days don't keep you in a frantic pace, but you simply relax because you trust in God.

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. - 1 Chronicles 16:8-11



My Communion with God. To Honor. What is the reason why we spend time with God? There are many reasons one might give. One reason is so that I can find answers for my life's questions. Or maybe another reason might be, so that I can find encouragement or help.



Those are reasons, but they are not the main reason why we should talk to God or spend time in his presence. Those reasons (and many others) are some of the benefits we receive by being in God's presence, but they are not the total focus. The main reason why we should seek God is to simply honor him.



In this scripture today, the people are rejoicing and giving thanks because the Ark of the Covenant is in their midst. David gives thanks that does not end until around verse 36. David list some of the attributes of God, that he is ruler over all and that he is from everlasting to everlasting.



This is the main purpose of our time of communion or devotion. You and I cannot go to God with our own set agenda for the meeting. That might not be what God wants to talk about today. When we pray, we go with a list of things we want to tell God, but never stop to think, what does God want to tell me today? What does he want me to hear about him? When we change our time of communion focus, we go to God without a set agenda.



Instead, we go simply to honor him. In that time of honor, God will give us what we need, that's just the way God works. Aren't you glad about it.



Today, let us go to our time of communion with God without a set list of things, but simply to talk to him and honor him. I pray for us today, that we just honor God and listen to his voice. What might he say to you?