May 2016 – ALookintoT

Pony

Pony or poop? What? When you were a little child, did you ever have a birthday or Christmas gift that filled you with hope? Even before you got the gift, you were so excited with anticipation. Perhaps, it as a little puppy or kitten or maybe it was a pony. When you had that feeling your gift was at the door, did you just hang around saying O well or were you at the door looking with great anticipation? What if you opened the door and all you saw was a great big pile of poop? Would you close the door with disgust and disappointment or as a little child go on faith that the poop was just a sign of the prize to come. Were you looking beyond the poop to find the pony? Think of horse manure (poop) as just a pile of trouble to step over to find the prize. Romans 5:3-4 tells us that if we endure trouble we grow in character which produces hope. With hope we have the faith to move mountains of trouble. So may this little message give you some inspiration to look at your troubles as new opportunities to serve a higher calling to reach the ultimate prize. Listen to my brief message below, if you have time.

Peace be with you.

Congrats

To all you teachers out there who questioned your own sanity when for the eleventh time your student finally got it, congrats. To all you parents who thought this day would never come, congrats. To all you students who did not give up on your dream, congrats. It is with great pride that being one of those teachers and today one of those parents, I say it was all worth it. To see your own child reach a level of academic achievement never before reached in my family history gives me a belief that we can accomplish whatever we set our goals to achieve. Thank you Dr E. for restoring my own confidence that with enough work, determination and faith we can move that mountain.

What Kind?

We all want some kind of proof especially in this instant gratification world we live in today. What kind of spirit did you receive? In the day of “if it feels good do it” world, have you ever considered this question? Did you receive a spirit of fear or faith? Do you even know if you have received a spirit? Do you even care? These are all questions that perhaps you may or may not even think about but it is worth a little contemplation for a moment. Romans 8:14 says we were led by God’s Spirit because we are His sons and daughters. We did not receive a spirit of slavery to fear. Fear of what? You fill in the blanks……shadows, darkness, public, people, slavery to food, slavery to work, slavery to broken contrite relationships, booze, gambling, any other material thing……. Even Phillip in John 14:8 wants some kind of proof as if Jesus hadn’t done enough to prove his divinity. What more proof did he need? What more proof do we need? Have you ever been lead by His Spirit? If you can honestly say, yes then you can say you have receive the Spirit of Truth. If you do not feel that you are being led by His Spirit, pray for his guidance but before you do, empty yourself of the fears in your life and open your heart to faith.

Spirit

How do you measure success? Is it the amount of money in your various bank accounts? Is it the amount of land you have? Is it the amount of treasures you have accumulated here on this earth? I think none of these are good metrics for success. Instead, perhaps we should look at our life’s journey. Paul prayed for a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation that we may know God in Ephesians 1:17. I like the next verse as well about the “eyes of our heart”. I am not a doctor. That’s my daughter, lol, but I think a heart does not have eyes. Yet, do you get it? I do. We have to look at things not from our materialistic dog eat dog kind of world to a world of peace and harmony. Who cares about the treasure here on this earth when we are six feet in the ground? As we celebrate our Mothers since the below message was delivered on Mother’s Day, may we remember the gift of the Spirit of the living God to fall afresh on us all. Let us stop to smell the coffee and roses while we are still able and be guided by His Spirit.

How Did?

How did we learn His Story? Let me preface with a love story. There is a small book in the Old Testament between “Judges” and “1 Samuel” called “Ruth”. It takes about 15 minutes to read so no excuses! It is about a loving bond between two women who were put together due to tragic life events but through their faith found a solution to their dilemma. The result changed our whole world. It is a good read of victory in the face of defeat. That is part of His story.

Also, Revelation 21 and 22 is about a man who fell into a spirit filled trance to tell the story of the Father and the Lamb in victory over evil. John 14 tells the story of a peace beyond this world and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to overcome fear to have faith. How did we learn His story? John tells about love, peace and encouragement. Revelation tells about a beautiful future without darkness. You answer this question in your own words to explain to others how you learned about Jesus. Tell his story in your own words to make a difference to anyone who will listen.

Listen to my below brief message.