God's Blessings "Get Up"

Mark 16:4-6

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

    Get up!  Every time you feel defeated.  Get Up!  Every time it seems like things are not going your way.  Get up!  Every time the enemy reminds you of who you use to be.  Get up! Every time someone talks negatively about you.  Get up! Every time satan tells you a lie contrary to Gods Word. Get Up! Every time you feel hopeless and alone.  Get Up!  Every time you are faced with financial hardships and challenges.  Get Up! Every time you fall or miss the mark.  Get Up! Every time someone refuses to forgive you or let go.  Get Up!  Every time someone mistreats you.  Get Up because He (Jesus Christ) got up for you!

Happy Resurrection Weekend!  I am so glad we serve a Lord and Savior that still is alive and showed us how to get up!

Brother Clarence

God's Blessings "Gifts or Passions"

Proverbs  18:16

A man’s gift makes room for him,

And brings him before great men

     Steve Harvey was hosting TBN (a Christian television network show) one evening.  One  of the things he talked about was  all of the people who come up to him asking for acting jobs or a break in show business.  He shared that many waitresses  would come up to him expressing their desire to act in a movie or sing.  His response was, “ well what are you acting in or where are you  singing?”  He stated that your gift or talent is something you would do whether you were being paid for it or not.   Your gift is what will promote and cause you to prosper.  Some people were passionate about acting or singing but their gift or talent was not.

     God has blessed all of us with certain abilities and certain gifts.  The problem is we try to mirror our selves after other people instead of developing, investing, and focusing on our own individual gift and talent. What is the difference between passion and gifts?

Passion is defined as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate. 2. strong amorous
feeling or desire; love; ardor.

Gifts are defined as a special ability
or capacity; natural endowment;

    Today, ask yourself, “ Am I using my God given talents or am I seeking my passions?’  The answer may indicate to you if you are in the will of God.  I am passionate about Alabama football but I am not getting on the field.  I am passionate about Janet Jackson but is Janet  passionate about Clarence. Not at all!  My gift is writing , encouraging, helping, and loving God’s people. 

     According to the scripture, my gift will promote me not my passions.  What are you focusing on in your life?  Gifts or passion.  The answer could be the key to your success or your exit out of the wilderness.

Brother Clarence

www.godlykings.blogspot.com

God's Blessings "Love"

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

   If you live in the greater Birmingham area, a lot of strange and bizarre things have happened.   A young child died at the airport because a sign accidently fell on his family.  In a  local park, a teenager was recently tragically killed and shot in the park.  There were other stories where children were killed as the result of domestic disputes between their parents.  Senseless crimes and all could and should have been avoided.

    There is no explanation I can give to justify any of these events.  I listened to the relatives of all the victims who are shocked, hurt and grieving the loss of their loved ones.  It is a terrible time.  Nothing good about what has happened in our city and surrounding communities.

     What is the greatest gift God has given all of us? “Love.”  Love is a gift and love is a commandment.  Our society has become too selfish and self driven to the fact we don’t value life.  Our teens seem to have their conscious seared and the hearts turned cold.  Men and women in relationships are so angry with each other that they will kill themselves and their  own children.    Where is the love?

    In challenging times, love.  When your faced with people who don’t like you, love.   When you are angry and you want to retaliate, love.  When your spouse  has made you mad beyond belief, love.   There is no greater solution.  There is no better cure.

  Love is what saved all of us.  Love healed us.  Love delivered us.  Love died on the cross.   Love loved you when you did not know what love was.  Love went to hell on your behalf.  Love forgave you of all your sins.  That’s love!  God has given each of us the gift to love. 

Romans 5:5

    ⁵ Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

     It is not always easy but never underestimate the power of love .  It is a gift from God but also a spiritual weapon that can change the course of action.  Love heals.  Love brings joy.  Love binds a family.  Love settles disputes. Your love is a gift  from God for you to share with someone; don’t forget to use it!   Our world needs you to share!

Brother Clarence

www.godlylings.blogspot.com

God's Blessings

Proverbs 10:22

²² The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.

  Are you stressed this morning?  Having problems sleeping?  Is your health being affected by how you work?  What you do? Where you do it?   Can’t sleep at night? Tossing and turning  at night has become a new norm for you? How do we know that God has blessed us instead of we trying to bless ourselves?

  Years ago, I needed a job.  I was unemployed and  my wife was a full time student.  I needed a job fast.  During that process, I was offered two jobs.  Job #1 would take me away from my family and it would be long hours, I would be on call and training would place me in hotels for several months but would be a substantial increase.   Job #2  was 8 to 5 Monday through Friday right where I lived except it was almost 13,000 dollars less than what I could be making.  Well, which one to you seemed to be the blessings from God?

  I prayed and I did get an answer.  God directed me to take Job # 2.  Now that does not seem to make much sense because we all work to make money.  Here is what you did not know and the reasons God directed me to Job #2.  

At this time I was having marital problems.  I had just exposed my addiction to pornography.  If I had taken that job I do not know if we would be married today.  That was a time where I had to regain trust with my spouse and that takes time.  Secondly, the place that I would be working had been robbed, in a bad neighborhood, and internal theft was a big problem.  You never know what satan will try to do when you are out of the will of God.  Sometimes we open the door to satan when we try to bless ourselves.

  Here’s the blessing:  At job #2 it was not an easy job.  It was in sales.  I had the potential to make more money but you had to make sales.  The environment could be stressful.  They fired people every other day without warning.  People would leave there crying and upset all the time but God was with me.  It was a stressful environment but I wasn’t stressed.

  My family is a blessing from God.  My wife and children are a blessing from God.  I do not  know if I would have them today if I had taken that job.  Everyday satan is presenting us with opportunities.  We must take the time to discover if it is a blessing from God or a quick imitation of a blessing from satan.

  No matter what or where you are in life, if God is with you and you are in his will, you can be blessed with no sorrow added if you trust Him.   I had to trust God.  I had to learn to walk in faith.  I had to learn to survive.  God was with me.  I know in my heart, life could have been much different for me if I had taken Job#1.

The blessing of the Lord  maketh rich and added no sorrow.

Brother Clarence

Grace- The Same Power

Key Verse This Week

2 Peter 1:3-4

New King James Version (NKJV)

³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

     Today lets really look at our key verse this week.  This scripture is so rich because it is God telling us that whatever you need in life I already gave it to you.  Whatever you face in life that has or will try to defeat you, I already have given you the enabling power to overcome and have victory!  Ok, I know what you are saying? Clarence, what about my circumstances, my health and my bills?  If God gave us all this why did He just give us the natural blessings we need?  The answer is God is a Spirit and you are too.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it

     You are a spirit being like our Father God.  You possess a soul( your mind, intellect), and you live in a body.  You are a Spirit being.  This physical world  was created by the spiritual world.  The spiritual world is more real than this world we live in.  When we die physically, our spirit being is what lives.  To be absent from the body is to be in the presence of the Lord.  When we are born again, what part of us is reborn? Our Spirit.  The very nature of God takes place, moves in, sets up shop.  The Spirit of God lives on the inside of us.  This is what we are to activate by grace through faith to have victory in this life.  The same power that Jesus has. The same resurrecting power that Jesus has.  The same healing power that Jesus has is living on the inside of us.  Christians have Gods DNA in us.  We are His children.  All we have to do to access it is believe it and obtain his grace( enabling power) through faith. 

     This is why the scripture tells us, "my people die for a lack of knowledge."  We have got to study this word.  We need to know who we are In Christ.  If you are born again, your whole spirit was reborn and the same power that Jesus had as He performed miracles, healed the sick, feed 5,ooo men plus women and children with a few fish and some bread, the same power that walked on water,  the same power that cast out demons, and the same power that turned water into wine  is in you today.  The moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you were given every spiritual blessing.  Your reborn Spirit is perfect just like Christ.  That same power, His divine nature is what He gave us to win,  We must now begin to access it.  No more defeats!  No more!  Hallelujah, it's time to win!  Use the Power! Use His Grace! Access it through Faith! Renew that mind!  Live for God and Watch God use you to perform miracles In Jesus Name!

Thanks You Jesus!

Brother Clarence

Grace- Empowered to Do

Key verse this Week

2 Peter 1:3-4

³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust

Yesterday I made the statement that Christianity or being a Christian is not an entitlement but the opening of the door.  The opening of the door to what?  All Gods promises and spiritual blessings.   I also said that grace is the key to the door.

 

   Grace has been defined as Gods unmerited favor.  God having given us something without our working for it or deserving it.  When Christians sin we always equate Gods forgiveness with His grace because we don't deserve to be forgiven but He does anyway. That’s one side of grace.  The other side of it is His enabling power and empowerment to do everything that we are called to do.    Grace is God's ability to do in you what you could not do on your own.

   God is challenging all of us to start relying and confessing his grace as an empowerment or enabling force.  The word empowered means to to give official authority or legal power to. The truth be told grace will keep us from sinning.  Grace will break any addiction.  Grace will help you accomplish things that you were not able to do on your own.. Grace is the key.

   The question  is how do we access this empowerment in our lives?  How do we change our natural circumstances to reflect the will of God in our lives?  First, we must understand truly what God's will is for us as His children.

     It is not Gods will for you to be sick.  It is not Gods will for us to die prematurely.   It is not Gods will for us to be in lack.  It is not Gods will for us to be addicted and defeated as Christians.  God wants all of us to dominate.  In order to dominant we must realize that God has empowered us to win.  If you are a Christian you already have it.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

Why would God give us every spiritual blessing if we were to remain poor?  Why would God give us every spiritual blessing  for us to remain sick?  Why would God give us every spiritual blessing for us to die prematurely?  He gave us these blessing so that we would resist and deny these evil tidings so you can live life empowered to do things that are bigger than you.  God wants you to lay hands on sick and pray for their healing In Jesus Name.  He wants you to give to the poor.  He does not want you to be poor.  God wants you to resist the devil when he comes with sickness and disease and it affects your body and call on the grace of God to receive the healing He already purchased on the cross for you.  It is up to us to access this but we must stop lying on God and saying he gave this thing to me because He did not.  The devil wants you sick. The devil wants you poor. The devil wants you addicted.

   You have been empowered to defeat the enemy with every evil tiding that he brings into your life..  Sickness is an evil tiding.  Poverty is an evil tiding.  Lack is an evil tiding.  Lust is an evil tiding. Resist the devil and he will flee. You are empowered to do and achieve things; greater things, but we must know we are empowered by Him ( Our God) to do it.  More to come.......

Brother Clarence

Grace-Results Bigger than You

 

Key Verse This Week

2 Peter 1:3

³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

      I believe that God wants all Christians to dominate their environment.  I believe that it is His purpose for men to dominate every area of their lives.  It is Gods will for mankind to dominate.  From the very beginning of our existence, God was purposeful about man having dominion in his environment.  I believe that this is true today. If you are a Christian, you should be the head and not the tail. 
     God wants us to dominate in the workplace, marketplace and community.  Some of us have achieved things because we have education.  We have achieved a big house.  We have achieved  purchasing a nice car.  We have achieved being able to travel and have vacations but God is concerned about you achieving things that are bigger than you.  I submit to you today; if you are looking at what you have achieved or accomplished in life and your results are attainable by your hard work or dedication - You are not having results that are bigger than you.
     Our key verse states that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.  If that scripture is true then why are we not experiencing all that God has for us?
Why is it that Christians die prematurely?  Why is it that Christians experience lack?  Why are Christians sick and not healed?  Maybe we are not experiencing results bigger than ourselves.  Maybe we should reevaluate ourselves and see how to tap into this power, this enablement , this sufficiency that most Christians are not experiencing in our daily lives.
     If I am sick, how do I get healed?  If I am in need of money, how do I get the finances I need for my family?  We must begin to ask and find the answers. God is not just concerned about you having a house, clothes, and a nice car but He wants you to dominate.  I submit to you, Grace is the key.
    I hope your thinking hard on this because God is wanting to teach and show us things that we already have but are not accessing.  You being a Christian is just not an entitlement but the opening door to having results bigger than you.  More to come....

Brother Clarence

Genesis 1:26-28

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all^[a] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”