ALL:At times, I have had to "BIGHT" my tongue (fingers) as I typed out a
message. It becomes VERY HARD when the flesh does NOT get its
way (in the beginning or at the beginning "MOMENT").It is a "TRAINING" to go through "THAT"!!!
If the answer to Christianity is to just always "DO" and "ACT" the way
we "FEEL", then we would ALWAYS be able to justify ourselves by our
"GOOD" ideas or feelings!!!BUT....
...Proverbs 12
...18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
...but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
...19 Truthful lips endure forever,
...but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
...20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,
...but joy for those who promote peace....Proverbs 16
...31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
...it is attained by a righteous life.
...32 Better a patient man than a warrior,
...a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
...33 The lot is cast into the lap,
...but its every decision is from the LORD.Yesterday, on TBN, a woman (from Mike Barber Ministries which goes
into prisons) was speaking to a group inside Angola Prison and told them
about a minister who was jailed. She said that, for 2 years, the minister
did NOT hear from the Lord. (This was a true testimony and not a story.)
Then the minister asked the Lord, "Why don't you talk to me anymore?"
"THEN" the Lord spoke to him and said, "Because you're 'ARROGANT'!"What I am "TRYING" to say here is to present a question to those (like
me) who are HARD HEADED and "MAY" wish to go "THEIR OWN" ways.
(You DO NOT have to be inside a "JAIL" to be wrong!)Here is the question:
..."Would you 'REALLY' rather have the blessings of God than to
...to be 'ALWAYS' so right!?"Deuteronomy 28
Blessings for Obedience
1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his
commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high
above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon
you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land
and the young of your livestock-the calves of your herds and the lambs
of your flocks.
5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will
be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but
flee from you in seven.
8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything
you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land
he is giving you.
9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised
you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and
walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you
are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The
LORD will grant you abundant prosperity-in the fruit of your womb,
the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground-in the land
he swore to your forefathers to give you.
12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty,
to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your
hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.
13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention
to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and
carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to
the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.---------------------------------------------------------
So (I put a more personal closing at the note's end, and), after writing
this note to my kids, I "happened" to catch a portion of a Creflo Dollar
sermon on the TV which SO VERY OBVIOUSLY, went PERFECTLY
with the note that I just "HAD" to go turn on my recorder and tape the
rest of it. He was making comments on the following scripture:...Luke 14
...28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first
...sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money
...to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able
...to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,EVEN THOUGH Creflo Dollar is NOT a prophecy teacher, his
comments NEED TO APPLY to our lives (those of us who TRULY
believe the Lord's return is near) in light of the parable of the wise
and foolish virgins of Matthew 25:1-13 (URL below):http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:1-13&version=31
What Pastor Dollar said is below and, I believe, WORTH HEARING!!!!
GOD BLESS!!!
Calvin
Creflo Dollar from his sermon (on TV 3/5/06):
Engage Wisdom Through Thinking (Part 1)
http://www.creflodollarministries.org/"We have WISDOM available to us. There are 'some' people who have to
'SWEAT' to win but you should be knowing how to experience 'SWEATLESS
VICTORIES'!Isaiah 30...look at verse 7...
...For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore
...have I cried concerning this, 'Their strength is to sit still'.Look at verse 15...
...For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning
...and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be
...your strength: and ye would not.'Folks, I can recall EVERY MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH IN MY LIFE
AND MINISTRY happened when Taffy (his wife) made me go on vacation
somewhere to 'SIT STILL'.....'AND'.........when I sat still...'SOMETHING
HAPPENED!!!'....I'm considering things...I'm looking over stuff...see it is
REAL HARD for you to get anything from God when you are around a lot
of 'drama'. And, you know, 'church folks' are 'DRAMA' people. They're
'drama-rama'...you understand what I'm saying (laughing).There's A PLACE for sitting still to locate the treasures in the Word...to
bring forth ideas that will ENHANCE productivity.WHAT DO YOU GET, THEN, WHEN YOU SIT STILL? I mean, 'Pastor,
what a STRANGE sermon...I've got a lot of work I need to do!...what do
I get...show me what'll happen when I 'SIT STILL' and I'll consider it!!!'Well now...go on down here to verse 21
Isaiah 30:21
...And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, 'This is the way,
...walk ye in it.' when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.'He (God) said, 'If you'll SIT STILL and if you'll GET QUIET....then you're
gonna hear, "THIS IS THE WAY...THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO....
GO THAT WAY..DON'T GO THAT WAY...DO THAT...SIT THERE...TAKE
THAT TURN...SIT THERE...BE QUIET THIS TIME...SAY THIS WHEN YOU
GET THERE...SHOW 'EM THIS WHEN YOU GET THERE AND ONLY THAT
WHEN YOU GET THERE...God said, if you 'SIT STILL', then you'll hear something and I'll show you the
way to go. See...we're trying to live 'DRIVEN' lives instead of 'DIRECTED' lives.