To Glorify God Volume 1, Issue 4

A life dedicated to glorifying God is not a perfect person who is without sin. Jesus Christ already fulfilled the requirement of the perfect lamb to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit", (John 19:30). We are not called to be perfect in order to glorify our Father in heaven. We glorify our Father by the submission of our hearts to His Will. Our heart is what glorifies the Living Christ, in that when we do sin we show the world a repentant and humbled vessel seeking reconciliation with our Father. For many generations the world has been lead to believe in order to be Christian you have to live a life of perfection, which Satan uses as another tactic to keep mankind far off from God. How many of us said before we came to God, "I just got to get these certain things in order, then I will be ready to give my life to God", how many people do we know today that use that same idea. Christ did not come for the "perfect" folks. "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”, (Mark 2:17). "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us", (Romans 5:8). The world has to see our lives; the good, the bad, and the ugly so they may identify with the fact that God accepts all of mankind in our brokenness to come to His thrown by way of His Son Jesus Christ.

We all can agree on the fact that our Apostle Paul lived out his life to glorify God. "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death", (Philippians 3:10). He authored almost half of the New Testament and set a blaze what we know to be the modern world with the Gospel of Christ. Yet, this was Paul's sober perception of his life; "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen", (1 Timothy 1:15-17). A life that glorifies God, has to be lived out in the open for people to see. Our response cannot always be "blessed and highly favored or I'm good". We have to live out our life sharing our struggles and victories. Paul lead many to Christ because he became all things to all men so that some may be saved. "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some", (1 Corinthians 9:22). That means our hearts have to want to glorify God more than to be protected from what people may think or say about us!!! Today, let your light shine before men, even if that means sharing our struggles and weaknesses, so that we may glorify our Father in Heaven. Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of glorifying God on purpose!!!!!

Matthew 5

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

To Glorify God Volume 1, Issue 3

Our Champion and Savior Jesus Christ has set the bench mark for us to follow. His whole life was dedicated to bringing glory to His Father!!! "Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word", (John 8:54-55). As we have been commanded by our Lord in verse 16 of Matthew chapter 5, we are to shine His Light so that the world would see the good deeds and glorify our father in Heaven. How can we bare this light and perform these good deeds? "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other", (John 15:12-17).

When Jesus left this command, He did not leave it as a boss on our job would leave a command. We receive commands daily in which the authority never lays hand to plow, so they can never sympathize or empathize with what we go through in order to follow that command. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need", (Hebrews 4:14-16). Not only do we have an authority who knows what we are going through to comply to the command, He also wishes us to rest and allow Him to do the work through us!!! "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus", (Philippians 1:4-6). Not only did Jesus Christ live a lifestyle of glorification, He called us to live that same lifestyle. He knows what it takes to follow this lifestyle so He can empathize and sympathize with us as we bare our cross. Then on top of all that, He gives us the promise that He will do the work through us, who is like our God??? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”, (Matthew 11:28-30). Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of glorifying God on purpose!!!!!

Matthew 5

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

To Glorify God Volume 1, Issue 2

DO NO FAINT!!!

As a child of God we run a race that is heavy. We face daily persecutions, trials, tribulations, and hardships from the world we live in. Our loved ones turn their backs as we go through the transformation from slave of sin to slave of righteousness. We face an enemy that seeks to devour us by exposing our flesh to the world so that our "witness" will have no power, and Jesus Christ would be defamed. The greatest battle we face is within ourselves as we beat our flesh into submission in accordance with the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. We face these perils all for a home that we cannot see, taste, touch, smell, or hear. We run this race for a prize that we have to truly believe exist, without evidence in this life. Needless to say with the little that has been stated in this paragraph to the "reality" of the Christian walk, it is not easy!!! After 12 years of grade school you earn a diploma. After at least four years of undergraduate education you receive a bachelors degree. After at least 30 years of hard labor you receive a retirement. This is all to see that anything that is worth having, takes a hard journey to achieve. For those who wish to receive the treasures that the Word of God promises for those who live to Glorify Him, here is a little bit of encouragement!!!

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

"Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules", (2 Timothy 2:5). "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing", (2 Timothy 4:8). "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him", (James 1:12). "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away", (1 Peter 5:4). "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown", (Revelation 2:10). Today, renew your strength in the promises of God as you live to Glorify Him!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of glorifying God on purpose!!!!!

Matthew 5

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

To Glorify God Volume 1, Issue 1

While the world spends a lifetime trying to figure out how to glorify oneself, we as the children of God have to spend our life Glorifying God. Our passion in this life has to be consumed with fulfilling the call of our salvation. We as the children of the light are called to bare the light of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ before the world so they will glorify our Father from which the light comes. We can no longer glorify ourselves because we have learned that we are not the source of our lives. We are called ambassadors and as such we represent a national kingdom in a foreign land. "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God", (2 Corinthians 5:20). As ambassadors, our lives no longer belong to the glorification of oneself, or the pursuit of ones satisfaction. We pursue life in a the way that God has established, so that as we take this journey, mankind will see our lives and ask us a about the source of our light. Today, let us seek to live a life that glorifies God with everything we say and do!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of glorifying God on purpose!!!!!

Matthew 5

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Keeping it Real Volume 1, Issue 4

"Keeping it Real" with ourselves, our works, and each other in the body of Christ is all the manifestation of keeping it real with God. God knows our hearts and why we come to Him. God understands and love the fact that we come to Him as babes, searching to have Him provide for our needs. We had to come to an end of ourselves to realize that we could not take care of ourselves in this world. Just like a baby cries out to his mother or father for food, warmth, protection, and love, we all cried out to God for one reason or another. Spending time in this season is truly understandable and needed, for it will be the foundation of your walk with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Yet, our Father doesn't want to stay as babes, he wants us to grow to full maturity in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Our Father, has made every provision necessary for His children to gain full maturity into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. He has set mature saints in the body of Christ to equip us. He has given us all a private tutor in the form of our comforter, the Holy Spirit. He has provided us with a guide book to gain wisdom for living, in the Bible. He has opened an eternal call line through His Son Jesus Christ to where we may have access to Him 24/7. It doesn't matter if we have been in the faith for just a year or for forty years, we all can continue to grow into the perfection of faith in Christ Jesus. We cannot fool God and learn the garb of Christian speech and prayer to sound as one who is mature. God knows exactly where we are in our walks. We have to give Him our whole heart to pursue Him. What father wouldn't want to look up one day to see his son or daughter coming to him and when he asks "what do you need", their response is "I just want to hang out with you". Our maturity goes from a need of God, to a want of God!!! It goes from a place of taking, to a place of receiving!!! Nothing in your life will become real, until you get real with God!!! Everything and everyone in your life will stay at a superficial level, until you become the real YOU, which is the you God created you to be!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of keeping it real on purpose!!!!!

James 1

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Keeping it Real Volume 1, Issue 3

Our heart is what God is after and what He judges. Mankind is very "good" at dressing, sounding, and looking the part of righteousness. We can dress up the tomb with a great display and trick men into thinking that we are righteous, but the truth is that there is still only deadman's bones inside. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean", (Matthew 23:27). God knows not just what we do but why we do it. Man only sees the actions and count it unto us as righteousness. Most of what is done in the body of Christ is being done out of broken motives, whether vanity, greed, pride, frustration, anger, jealousy, pleasing men, lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, coveting another's gift, or out of evil. These motives will no more store up treasure in heaven for a vessel than if the vessel never came to God through Jesus Christ. To God, works performed out of these motives will be burned up. "Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire", (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

"Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father", (John 14:10-12). The works that Jesus Christ performed were to show the children of Israel and the gentiles that He was indeed the Son of God. As Jesus stated in the passage above, it was God living in Him and doing His work. This is the vessel that God will use to do His works. The heart that is sold out to Jesus Christ, will give all the glory to Him as these works are being performed through them. All works performed out from the flesh will be burned up by the fire. While most saints know that they could not earn their salvation through works, nor could they keep their salvation through works, failed to realize the enemy has allowed them to settle for earning man's approval through their works. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do", (Ephesians 2:8-10). Having the approval of man may fulfill a need for acceptance now, but just like every vain thing it will be consumed. The only works that will settle you treasure in Heaven (not because you performed something great, but because you were obedient to allow the Lord to use your vessel), will be those "Real Works" performed by the Holy Spirit, all others are counterfeits!!! Today, let us check the motives of our works to insure that we are keeping it real with all in the body of Christ. Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of keeping it real on purpose!!!!!

James 1

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Keeping it Real Volume 1, Issue 2

"Fake People"!!! There is such a cry out against people being fake in our society today. No one wants to be around people who smile in your face and talk behind your back. Everyone desires to have people in their lives who wants the best for them and will be there to encourage them. Fake people are always the ones that cause drama. Yet, let us look at this from a different perspective. How many people are real with themselves. The reason why we have so many fake people is because no one wants to look in a "real mirror". "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise", (2 Corinthians 10:12). We are still conforming ourselves to the world when we are looking at each other and comparing ourselves to one another, we are all broken sinners. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will", (Romans 12:2).

When we look at ourselves we make changes to ourselves based on what we see in others. Mankind is a broken mirror due to sin, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", (Romans 3:23). Yet there has only been one mirror that has never been broken. All Christians are to look into that mirror to see their reflection. This mirror reflects the brokenness of our sinful hearts and it declares the areas in which we need to die on the cross daily. This mirror is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the only human to walk the face of this earth and yet did not commit a sin. Jesus is the measuring stick that we are to compare ourselves to. "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters", (Romans 8:29). The reason why there are so many "fake people", is because no one wants to see the reality of who they really are. If they do look in the mirror of Jesus Christ, they soon turn away from the mirror forgetting what they see. In other words, people would rather deal in their brokenness rather than deal with the fire that purifies the flesh that conforms us into the likeness of our Savior Jesus Christ. So because I don't want to deal with my issues, it's okay for you not to deal with yours. I will love you as I am called to do and accept your ways which are not pleasing to God, because I know my ways are not pleasing to God. "As long as when I compare myself to you, I look good, then we are okay". The reason the Pharisee and Sadducee's wanted Jesus dead was because He exposed them to the darkness of their broken and wicked hearts. We cannot accept less than what Jesus Christ died for, that man would be conformed into His likeness and His image to shed light onto this dark world so that some may come to the saving grace of God the Father!!! While none of us will never be perfect until we die in this life and receive our new bodies in eternity, settling for looking into broken mirrors will keep the church filled with "fake people"!!! Today, let us make sure the mirror we are looking into is the one illustrated in the scriptures of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of keeping it real on purpose!!!!!

James 1

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Keeping it Real Volume 1, Issue 1

"Keeping it Real", has become a very known cliche' in our society today. This statement is used right before or after someone has shared what they believe is truth, which may have offended the recipient. This cliche' is also used by someone to justify their actions when they know what they have done is of a lower standard than what is required. Sadly, the majority of the people waking the face of this earth know very little about reality. Reality has to be based on truth. There is only one book which truly lists out the truths of mankind. When buying a product, our expectation is to learn everything we need to know about the functionality and how to operate the product through reading and applying what we have learned from the instruction manual included. The creator of that product is truest source of how that product "ought to" operate and function. The Bible serves as the instruction manual to mankind because the author is the creator of mankind.

The reality of mankind, is that man was created to serve a purpose just like everything else that has been created in the universe. The purpose is not to fulfill our own Will, but the Will of God the creator of the universe. There are clear and precise instructions in how mankind is to relate to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the rest of mankind. We have instructions on how to govern ourselves in this life and why we were created. We have understanding in the tools (Gifts) we have been given in order to execute the purpose of our creation. Living by any other guidelines driven by self and the world is living by a false reality. Today, examine the scriptures to see if you are living in and by the reality of God!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of keeping it real on purpose!!!!!

James 1

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

The Process Volume 1, Issue 5

FREEDOM!!!! The process that we face in Christ, is being set free from the world, it's wisdom, it's strongholds, it's soul ties, it's materials, and greater than that ourselves. God wants to free us from our pride, our lusts of the flesh and the lust of our eyes. "For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world", (1 John 2:16). Having a sober vision of ourselves will give us the desire to be set free from all those things that hinder our transformation in Christ Jesus. While we may see the great fight against the world and the evil one, the greatest fight is within ourselves. We have to understand that the enemy uses what is already in the depths of our of hearts and minds to wage war against us. We give the enemy the bullets to shoot at us!!! It's like your enemy comes on your property and uses everything in your shed including rakes, shovels, picks, ropes, hammers, nails, and axes to wage war against you. God our loving Father, wants to clean out our sheds and free us from all the things the enemy uses. God then fills our shed with His Son Jesus Christ, which the enemy cannot use.

A subtle but deadly weapon we give the enemy to use against us is a unforgiving heart. As we have memories of people who have hurt us and we still have scares of those hurts, the enemy brings people in our lives that remind us of those people. He may also resurface those people. These may be the people God wants to shine the Light of His son through us for their salvation, but we are blocking the light because we do not want to have anything to do with them. It is not enough just to be free from "habits", because new ones can be introduced. It is not enough to be free from past hurts, because new ones can come. The enemy can do just as much damage with empty vessels as with vessels full of anger, bitterness, greed, and evil. “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation”, (Matthew 12:43-45). If that vessel is not pursuing the Holiness of Christ through the written Word of God and fellowship with the Spirit, the enemy will wage a greater war than before!!! We must remember that throughout the rest of our lives we will face temptations and trails, we can only defeat the enemy in Spirit and Truth with the Word of God. Anything less than God will have no affect against the enemies attacks. We will never become perfect in this flesh, but we must strive for perfection. We must desire the fire of the Holy Spirit to purge us of all the impurities that are deep down, so that we will be filled with Christ to reflect His light to this darken world!!! Today, seek the fire of the process and the passion to be free to do God's pleasing and perfect Will in the earth!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the process on purpose!!!!!

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Thessalonians 4

Plea for Purity

1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit.

The Process Volume 1, Issue 4

To forgive someone who has wronged you is one thing. To invite them to literally eat and drink at your table is another. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you", (Matthew 5:38-42). Only the process of Jesus Christ being manifested in you can produce the fruit of being able to sit across from your enemy with no bitterness or guile and wish the same thing for them that you would your loved ones and that is that they would come to know the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we are wronged or sit in the company of those who wish to persecute or attack us, we sit in the same seat the our Lord sat in. He gave us specific instructions what to do when we are faced with this difficult situation. "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times", (Matthew 18:21-22). How can this be done? "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”, (Matthew 19:26).

The process will transform us from a people who says; "I cannot forgive that", to a vessel that says; "God, please heal me of this unforgiving heart"!!! When we understand what we have been forgiven and the Grace and Mercy that has been poured out on us, it allows us to understand why forgiving others bring glory to God. Once again when man is operating in his own flesh, this is impossible, but when operating in Spirit, this is more than possible. When Jesus Christ washed Judas Iscariot's feet along with the rest of His disciples at the last super knowing that Judas that very night would betray Jesus, we see a totally different principal being introduced into the earth. We see that everything your enemies do to harm you or bring you destruction, God uses to glorify Himself. Judas did exactly what was needed for the Son of Man to be ransomed for the penalty of mankind's sin. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ", (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Walking in the Light of Christ affords us the courage to sit at the table with our enemies and love them knowing that all that the enemy wishes to do to us God will use for our good, and His Glory!!! We as the children of God, above any others walking the face of this earth should know full well and live out the principal of "Not taking it personally"!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the process on purpose!!!!!

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Thessalonians 4

Plea for Purity

1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit.

The Process Volume 1, Issue 3

Part of the process that we will undergo in our sanctification will be the trade of our identity for that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is definitely a hard stage to undergo due to many reasons. When we allow the process to take place and we start to allow Jesus Christ to rule our lives, people start to respond to us as they would Jesus Christ. We spent so many years building friendships and then you find that these same people you cared for now want nothing to do with you. Think this not strange, it is not you, it is the Christ in you that they are rejecting. The presence of Christ in you is all the offense some will need to separate themselves from you.


Mark 6:1-6

A Prophet Without Honor

1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Make no mistake, when Christ takes over your life, you will change. The way you walk, talk, and even look will change to all the people around you. The hard pill to swallow for most that go through this process is that they recognize that the person they were before conversion, could never be a better friend than the person they have become in Christ. When the Holy Spirit deals with our brokenness and sets us free from the pains of our past, we become a vessel of fresh water, giving life and encouragement to all who wish to drink from the source of Christ. We find out that those who were close to us would rather have the broken and pain filled friend from years past than the one who has been transformed through the blood of Christ. Many will stop the process right here from the pain of rejection from family and friends. We cannot turn back!!! While that pain is as real as a knife to the heart, we must also commit that pain over to the cross in order to keep running our race. The biggest pain we will feel is the rejection from those in the body of Christ. Once again remember Christ biggest obstacles came not from the world but from the children of Israel. Christ exposed so much brokenness and truth of motives when He was present that it caused such a great offense. The same takes place today, as the vessel of Christ the greatest offense you will cause will be in the body of Christ. We must stand, in freedom and in the Spirit of truth. We should not worry when people are offended by our presence, we should worry when they are not!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the process on purpose!!!!!

Luke 6:20-26

20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Thessalonians 4

Plea for Purity

1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit.

The Process Volume 1, Issue 2

We do not just sit idly by as the process of sanctification happens within us. We have an active part to play in the process as well. While it is true that only God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can produce the fruit of the Spirit, we must also play our position which is to give our whole heart to Him, study the Word of God, pray without ceasing, and picking up our cross daily. Picking up our cross is a symbol to the world that Jesus Christ represents us. He is the atonement for our sins. It also is the active place were we daily deny the Will of self and die for the glory of God.

"So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin", (Romans 7:21-25). This is our Apostle Paul not speaking as once going through this before coming to Christ, but as his daily present struggle. Paul also states; "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize", (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). There is an active beating of our body into submission. We want our fleshly body submit to the Will of God!!! In order to do this we have to know our weaknesses. A sprinter who knows that they have a hard time getting out of the starting blocks will devote a tremendous amount of time working on getting out of the blocks. We must see the wicked places in our hearts and draw nearer to God so that these places of temptation can be beat into submission. This process is not for spectators, it is designed for those who wish to run the race for their crown!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the process on purpose!!!!!

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Thessalonians 4

Plea for Purity

1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit.

The Process Volume 1, Issue 1

We have everything we want at our fingertips today. The joy of the process has been long gone from this generation. When we have a society built on doing every thing quicker, stronger, better, bigger, we lose the opportunity to enjoy the process. Cooking a meal from scratch is a lost art in our day. Those that still perform this act of love, gain joy from going through the process of preparing the food, then the gift they receive is the enjoyment of the food by their loved ones. While microwaving and preparing precooked meals may help us in devoting time to other things, the flavor, taste, nourishment, and memory of a home cook meal can never be replaced.

Sadly, many Christians may seek to be microwaved into seasoned saints, performing works. A life of service to our Loving Father is a good thing, but we have to remember that the Father has His way of preparing us for that service. Our Father is a Master Chief and loves to take care in making Kingdom cooked meals for mankind to feast on!!! Look at our example in the form of our Savior, Jesus Christ. God slow baked Jesus for roughly thirty three years before God served Him on a platter for the World's consumption. "But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world”, (John 6:50-51). God is in no rush, but He is a gentleman and will only use those who choose to freely give of their bodies to be transformed into a beautiful meal that the Lord will prepare. God can and does use any ingredient for His glory, so it is ultimately our Will to determine whether we will be used in a microwave dinner for the world's consumption or as part of a four coarse meal. We can disqualify ourselves from the four coarse meal by not choosing to submit to the process of sanctification. Remember the memory of a microwaved meal may last an hour, but the memory of a four coarse meal may last a life time. Today, choose to be an ingredient that the Master Chief will use in one of His special feasts, submit to the process!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the process on purpose!!!!!

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Thessalonians 4

Plea for Purity

1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit.

The Big Picture Volume 1, Issue 4

"Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’", (Matthew 7:22-23). "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth”, (John 4:23-24).

How do we know if we are a branch that bares fruit or if we are one that is cut and thrown into the fire? The Lord says "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples", (John 15:5-8). Many "Christians" have connected through man's rituals "religion", but have not connected to the actual savior Jesus Christ. The only way we have assurance in our Salvation is through the Spirit that God deposits in us at the point of Salvation. "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory", (Romans 8:15-17). To bare fruit, is to bare the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit = The Spirit of God!!! Only through the Holy Spirit dwelling in our vessels can this fruit be produced. The only worship that is pleasing to God and that He will accept is that in "Spirit and Truth". While the world may tolerate and accept many things, God is very specific on this fact, the only children that will enter His Gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with Praise are those who have been sealed with the Holy Spirit after making a "HEART DECISION" to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who took up their cross to follow Him.

No man can state whether another is saved, we can only judge the fruit of someone's walk in Christ, and test ourselves. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light", (Ephesians 5:8-13). "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?", (2 Corinthians 13:5). We must resolve to give God our Hearts and our whole life. This will produce a lifestyle full of passion and joy in seeking after the Father for the rest of our days!!! This is pleasing to the Father and this will have our Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant". This will be the the branch that bares much fruit!!! Today, test yourself to see if you are connected to the true vine, abide in Him as He abides in you!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of submitting to the big picture on purpose!!!!!

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

The Big Picture Volume 1, Issue 3

Does God hate worldly possessions? Does God want me to be poor? Does God hate the rich people? The answer to all of these questions is in God's Word. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery", (Galatians 5:1). God wants all of His children set free so they will be able to do His pleasing and perfect Will. Just as our fingerprints are different so are our sinful desires. There is no cookie cut pattern for the Christian life. What God does in one child's life may not be done in yours and vise verse. God ultimately wants all of His children to reflect the light of Christ to the world and He as the potter only knows what process it will take for each individual child to be molded into Christ's image. To the drunkard He will say, "don't put your lip to another bottle of wine". To the rich He may say, "sell all of your possessions and give to the poor". To the drug attic He will say, "go to rehab". To the person in major credit card debt He will say, "cut up your credit cards". To the glutton He will say, "be a good steward over your body". God does not mind His children having possessions, but He does mind possessions possessing His Children. All those things which has enslaved us before coming to Christ, God prunes them away in order to have each child bare more fruit. That enslavement, God cannot use. Now to the man who is wealthy but has a heart like Job who knew that when his possessions got taken away, God giveth and God taketh away!!! God says to that man here use your wealth to bring me glory and I am pleased with this. God does not want any of His children going without food, clothes, and shelter. Our heart plays a big part in what God blesses us with. When we pray to God for money, homes, cars, jobs, health and the like, God's response will always be; "What will you do with what I give you"? Will it be used to bring you glory or will it be used to bring me Glory? So God's Will is perfect, His Gifts are perfect, His pruning is perfect. God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are surely higher than our thoughts. A lot of what is being deemed ungodly today is not ungodly, and vise verse a lot of what is being deemed Godly today is not Godly. God judges the heart, and He desires to bless all His children with "good gifts". Seek not wealth, seek God's Will, if His plan for your life brings wealth for His glory to expand his kingdom, then to God be the glory. If His will does not include worldly possessions for you to fulfill His Will, then to God be the Glory. Bottom line, to God be the Glory!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of submitting to the big picture on purpose!!!!!

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

The Big Picture Volume 1, Issue 2

Does God care where I work? Does God care where I go to school? Does God care where I live? As we ask these questions, we may think God has bigger worries to deal with and because the Bible doesn't tell us exactly were to live, go to school, and go to work, God must not care. Wrong, God absolutely cares!!! God cares because you are there, He cares about you and mankind!!! God wishes that all His children would understand that He cared a great deal for you in order to substitute His Son for your Sins. God doesn't just care about you when you are in your devotional time, at church on Sunday, and at bible study. He cares for you where ever your feet tread. At your job, in your school, and where you live, God cares!!! Just as the branch of a tree is an extension of the trunk of that tree, we being the branches are an extension of the vine. How can God reach the people where you work, go to school or live, through His branches. Christ is to be re-presented to the world in every generation until His glorious return. See there is a difference between "represent" and "re-present". When we wear a cross around our neck, we "represent". When we carry across on our back, we "re-present"!!! Just like the fact that God had to send himself (Jesus Christ) to pay the penalty, only God can present Himself (Holy Spirit) to draw mankind to Him!!!

The reason God cares; "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us", (Acts 17:27). Our purpose; "For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring", (Acts 17:28). Our whole hearts have to be given to God so that our minds will be conformed to His Will. Understanding the big picture allows us to fulfill Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things". Just like babies who are just learning to walk, the parent goes where the child steps to be sure they do not hurt themselves as they take their first steps. After a time the parent wishes that the child would ask "where do you want me to go", this symbolizes that the child has grown to a maturity and they wish to carry out the Will of the parents. From the first second of our belief, to our last breath, God will always be with us, and His Holy Spirit will always dwell within us according to His Word. He cared then, He cares today, and He will care tomorrow!!! Today, do you accept the truth that you are a branch of the true vine and God cares where you work, go to school, and live, so that the vine will have access in those places, will you "re-present" Him??? Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of submitting to the big picture on purpose!!!!!

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

The Big Picture Volume 1, Issue 1

What is the Will of the true and living God??? Why am I alive??? What does God want from me??? What is my purpose in this life??? Many questions like these are asked daily by men and women. We want to know what God wants from us and why is my life significant? In the gospel of John, Jesus Christ gives us "The Big Picture". As we read below God wants us to be connected to His Son Jesus Christ, in doing so He is allowed to become the gardener of our lives. See, we cannot have fellowship with the gardener until we connect to the source that will give us life and the connection has to be to the "true vine". Once we connect to the vine, God starts to prune our lives to bare fruit for the world to taste. His purpose is that when others taste the fruit they would choose to connect to the source of the fruit which is the vine. This process brings God glory!!! When the world taste the fruit that comes off our branch we point them to Christ which is the vine, when they connect to the vine, Christ points them to God which is the gardener. They then become grafted in as branches connected to the vine as we were. This is the purpose of your existence, God wants to use you and your life to attract more lives to His Son. He wants every man to choose to be connected to His Son and He wishes to receive the glory from every one of His creations. We are all precious in the sight of God, so much so that He gave His only begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ gave the greatest gift to us which was His life through His sacrifice on the Cross. God wants your whole heart and life!!! Today, connect deeply to the vine and allow the gardener to beautify your life. Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of submitting to the big picture on purpose!!!!!

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

The Fullness of Joy Volume 1, Issue 3

Our society grows further and further apart in human interactions. While we are in the booming age of technology that claims to keep us connected, we are actually talking less to one another and having less face to face interactions. The plan of the enemy is to keep people from seeing the real you. We have so many superficial relationships. In all those mediums we are allowed to put our best face forward. The enemy knows that part of God's Will is for His children to live open lives before men so that men can be drawn by the Christian's lifestyle to the one and true Living God. People are not inspired by someone who never has a bad day, they are inspired to see someone having a bad day still pressing through. The reason we are given joy is because we have hope. In believing the Word of God each believer knows that this life ends with a great assurance ahead of them. We also know that each season of suffering ends with glorious restoration and strengthening. The world has to see joy in the midst of our suffering so they can see the hope that we have. The world is dark and fading away, the reason that people don't care is because they have no hope. They have no hope for themselves or others around them and no one has hope in them changing for the better. They have to see our tears of joy in the midst of persecution and pain. If we are always blessed and highly favored, we have no connection to a suffering world. Our Joy is a fruit that we receive from the Spirit of God, they must covet that fruit and in doing so we can point them to the source of the fruit. Live a lifestyle that will draw men unto our Father in the sunshine and rain, let your joy be seen by all, so they can see the light of Christ!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of experiencing the fullness of joy on purpose!!!!!


Philippians 2

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Psalm 16

A Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
3 As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.

5 O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Fullness of Joy Volume 1, Issue 2

Nehemiah 8

4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”

12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

Studying the Word of God, allowing the Holy Spirit and other saints to help explain what God has hidden from the "Wise of the World", produces joy in us. This joy that is received when understanding God's Will and His Ways, gives strength to His children. When the joy of the Lord is your strength, you have a source that cannot be tampered with or taken away. God knew His children would face many trails and tribulations in this life, according to His Will for every man and woman that believes in His Son Jesus Christ, a source of power is given to use to be able to stand in the midst of any storm, trial, or temptation. Many young Christians turn from the faith because they came to God so that their lives would not have any more drama. As we all know when we made our decision for Christ we stepped onto a whole new platform of temptations and trials. God uses other saints (hence the importance of community) to guide us through these tough beginning seasons. By teaching us God's Will and His Ways for raising and maturing His children, we then find out the more we walk with God and spend time in His presence, the stronger this source of joy is produced in us, which we now use in the face of all trials. Joy is vital to the walk of all of God's children, it is the sustaining power that we use to stand against the enemy, and how we can rejoice in the midst of our sorrow to life. Today, seek to understand God's Holy Word and take refuge in a joy that will strengthen you in all seasons of life!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of experiencing the fullness of joy on purpose!!!!!


Psalm 16

A Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
3 As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.

5 O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.