God's Glory: Darkness to Light

When life beats you down and you become upset, just think of how Jesus, in all his glory, was the Savior, the Lord, the Christ, and He was literally beaten down as well as being verbally abused. Think of how He must have felt knowing that He was to save all people, even those who were putting him down; to know that He has the power to help or to destroy them, yet He chose to be one of the lowly and to walk with those as well.

During times of being put down, because Jesus knows how we feel, He extends his hands to you so that He can help you. Some may get lost in the alliteration of the situation but what this means is by taking Jesus' hand we are following His way and when we follow His way, we have His power in us. Power over death, power over sin, power over the devil.

As we receive this power and allow it to grow by continuing to walk in His way, we receive glory that is brighter than the Sun. Glory that is so contagious that it will spread to others. Glory that is so intense that those who do not understand will have to look away and hide their faces, because then they will have to realize that they are in darkness. But what is in the darkness must come to the light eventually. Weeping and pain may endure for the night [in the darkness], but joy comes in the morning [with the Light].(Psalm 30:5)

God’s glory is all around us. We may have difficulty discerning it, but it’s there always. If we have ever seen it, we should know it’s power and how great it is. When times are difficult and the Light is hard to see, we should let faith “kick in”, for it is the “substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1)

Therefore, if we do not have a solution in sight for a problem, we must trust faith to define and/or give us confidence that there will be a way for us to make it through. Look to God for his love and his glory in expectancy that His grace and mercy will be sufficient to bring us out from the muck and mire of life and into His glory, into his marvellous Light...the Joy in the morning! This Light...this Glory is there! Seek and ye shall find!

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Judge Not

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." -Matthew 7:1

To judge someone is to form an opinion about them or to come to a firm conclusion. Judgement tends to be dangerous because it is not always based on factual information but “formed opinions” which could very well be wrong. And furthermore, others may translate the opinions as fact. The truth is that we should not judge anyone. Our human minds are flawed and incapable of fair discernment. Only God can and will judge perfectly.

In the gospels, Jesus clearly says that whatever criteria you use to judge someone, you will be judged  in the same way. Opinions about people are translations of temporary encounters, and unless we know all the events and thoughts of a person, there is no acceptable criteria for judgement. Therefore, instead of addressing questionable situations with judgement, let us use the well-known “Golden Rule”and treat all people as we would like to be treated [Luke 6:31].

In addition, we should treat others as our brothers and sisters, and seek not to put a stumbling block [that the limitations from judgement cause] in their way. Instead, we as Christians should realize that we all will have our day of judgement with the only True and Fair Judge. And on that day we all will have to give account to God for our actions and thoughts, good or bad [Romans14:12-13].

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Product of God

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2

A recent conversation caused me think about my position on the assumption that a person's environment influences their thoughts and in turn their actions, and little by little changing the environment for the better or worse. While there is some truth to the aforementioned claim, as my father said before, “Ultimately, it is your choice.” What we decide, we decide and no one else. Therefore, we are not so much a product of our environment, as much as we are a product of our own mentalities. Furthermore, our lives become a composite reflection of our hearts.

The disciples gave accounts of Jesus speaking to the fact that “where your treasure is, therein also will be your heart” (Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34) . Many times the world wins out in the realm of influence toward our hearts because there is physical evidence complying with the claims of the world all around us. In regards to a more spiritual influence coming from a desire to please God, we must rely on faith which requires more self-discipline. Be that as it may, it is a process that can most certainly be achieved. A mindset to make decisions based on what God will have us do is not only attainable, but to the Christian it is mandated. The very essence of what it means to be a Christian requires that we accept Jesus Christ and follow his example. Therefore, when faced with temptations that may cause us to pause, we should either “flee the temptation” or “recite Scripture” as He did. This will help us to keep our focus where it belongs-on God's way. When we are focused, we can then guide ourselves back to God, and in doing so use a spiritual discernment when faced with decisions that have heavy consequences.

Our lives are a sum total of our experiences and decisions. The situations that are out of our control are not always ideal, but it is what we do with our decisions that make a lifelong impact. Allowing the enticements outside ourselves to dictate our thoughts, and hence our actions, is a very deadly game to play. God's way will not steer us wrong and will ultimately lead us to the true intent of our lives.

We are not given a good life or a bad life. We are given a life. It's up to us to make it good or bad. Who and what we encompass around ourselves will either make life easier or harder. Life is already destined for some difficulties, but who or what we find ourselves depending on will be the deciding factor between bending and breaking or bending and moving on. God does not desire for us to go through “ unnecessary foolishness." If we simply adhere to the ways set before us, we will see that God wants to protect us, keep us, and hold us.1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Bottom line, if we look to God, we will find what is of true value and be able to make decisions that God, through Jesus has already shown us the answers to. Then no longer will we fall to the cliche of being a product of our environment, but we will rise rise to the honor of being a product of our God! God bless! Be blessed and be a blessing!

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Train Up A Child

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6    

Children must be trained during a young age. Having taught young children, I've seen how important the responsibility of this is. The mind is most impressionable in childhood; therefore, it is crucial that our young are not only exposed to, but strictly held to the standards of God's way. Hard is the recovery of one who wavers from the way of the Father. So if we truly prepare them early, then they are much more likely to adhere to God.

As with athletic training, the process may be anything but comfortable at times, but looking ahead to what lies before us will reveal a better life, because we are in actuality reaching out to God and seeking to draw nigh high to him, the results of which will draw God closer to us. Through the hard times perseverance will strengthen us for the the next situation, and build “thicker skin” toward adversity and adversaries. Our young are constantly facing new challenges without the proper weaponry, but if they are prepared they will know not to look for man-made solutions to  man-made problems.

We as Christians, must tell and show our children that they are special. But we must do so before they are too exposed. Exposed to the world's definition of special, because they are definitely different. The love of God and his mercy bestowed upon us makes us special. When it is finally realized how much an honor it is to know God, then it will be self explanatory how this is so. To give the life of his child for the life of another who is undeserving is quite a feat in itself, but to then offer a perfect love and a perfect relationship afterward is mind blowing.

If then the realization of God's love is truly comprehended, there will be a yearning to please him and to follow his way. It will not be hard to show how to follow, because the ultimate example can be found in the Bible in Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Not only did we receive a blueprint on how to be adults but also how to be children. Honoring our parents, being about the Father's business, teaching God's way, and so on.

God has on many occasions proven himself to be a fair, and merciful parent. In this case, God has given us incentive in a promise. Exodus 20:12 is one of the Ten Commandments in which God specifically tells children to honor their parents so as to receive long days from the Lord. Parents are one of the first gifts to children and should be cherished and respected. It is a sign of respect toward God as if to say thank you directly to honor and respect them.

Part of the foundation of a child's  relationship with God must be understanding his infinite unconditional love toward us, as best as it can be explained. The importance of the Bible and God's promises must be taught. If “Because I said so” can be a powerful phrase, image saying “Because God says so”...and it having an impact!

It is said that we are the sum total of our life's experiences. So, let us not waste our time or our children's time. The sooner we teach them about following God, the sooner they will recognize true peace and fulfillment, that the world will never understand or be able to contain. Come what may, but God will bless a child with a steadfast faith and those who instilled it!

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Jesus' Words from His Heart

Sometimes actions speak louder than words. They are the results of decisions made. We make decisions based on how we think. And finally our thoughts are directly tied to what we allow to saturate our hearts.
Jesus had a heart full of love for us. He always thought about and did what was in the Will of God so His actions spoke volumes for Him. As a teacher, He taught many things, and spoke of the wonders of God the Father Who sent Him. He directed 12 men, healed those who were broken and did so with words. There was a reputation that preceded Him due to the actions He would be known for. This is an ultimate proof that we will be remembered for the things that we do more so than what we say. 

Many say that talk is cheap. This means that to simply speak about something means little in comparison to actually do something about it. Another phrase is, "Don't talk about it , be about it!" All these phrases ultimately mean the same thing. Talking about change is easy and meaningless in comparison to making or even being the change that you seek in the world as stated by the philosopher Ghandi himself. Jesus spoke of the Will of God and intricately became the Will and the Way of God by living the example that we are to follow! Henceforth becoming the Way, the Truth, and the Life! [John 14:6] Jesus the Christ, the God-man, lived to die for us. His heart was so intent on saving us that He literally became a physical sacrifice for us. His actions were a result of what He was thinking, and His thoughts were in direct correlation to what was in His heart. We were His original intent. He loved, and is still loving us and He needs to know that we live mostly to die for him as well. We must die to the flesh in order to be raised in the Spirit! Glory be to God, because we were the reason He came...to save us. By words were we created and by the Word were we saved! God bless!!!

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Praise and Deliverance

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1

This verse is a wonderful blueprint toward how a  Christian’s attitude should be, in regards to acknowledging God’s goodness. Written by the man after God’s own heart, this entire chapter of Psalms [34] reflects on the solid belief and example of God being there for us. The psalter makes sure to always include God’s workings in his life, no matter the situation he finds himself in or coming out of. Perhaps the approach that David takes toward revealing God’s divine intervention causes him to remain or at times, return to being of the description given- being righteous. Blessing the Lord at all times, and continuously praising God no doubt increased the relationship of David and God.

Verse 19 mentions the righteous in that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous:but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” David surely had his fair share of afflictions, but one in particular is believed to have been the source of his penning these profound words declaring his praise.

Before the poetry of this chapter, is a partial explanation making reference to an incident involving David and his confrontation with Abimelech. In the incident, David, in fear for his life, plays the role of a man gone mad, on the ground in the dirt, drooling in his beard. This image is shameful, to say the least, but it worked. His life was spared and he was sent away. God had saved him, once again. His life was spared and he explains further, “ I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears (v.4). He realizes his shortcomings, referring to himself in verse 6 as “This poor man” crying, when once again “the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” The commonality here is that when in distress, the Lord will hear his righteous, and deliver them out…of them all.”

Thousands of years after these events,we too can find ourselves on the receiving end of God’s deliverance. We have but to ask, and in the words of Jesus himself, “it shall be given; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) In almost a mirroring of the image that David set forth in Psalm 34, Paul’s Epistle of Ephesians [5:20] reminds us to always give thanks to God for all things. We must remember who he is and what he is capable of. He hears us and delivers us from all that might oppose us. This deliverance is available by believing and consistently praising God’s name -always. David stated it perfectly in an earlier chapter. Psalm 9:10 says, “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Beautiful poetry!

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Boldly before the Throne: Mercy

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7

Mercy can be described as pity toward those who are in lack, or under strain. Mercy could also be a withholding of punishment or justifying action against someone of opposition. For a Divine or Heavenly explanation, Psalm 103:10 states,"He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our inequities." In other words, God does not treat us as our sins deserve, and our sins bestow upon us a penalty of death. But instead, God offers mercy and an opportunity to engage in and continue a close relationship with him. We should heed Scripture and "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (Luke 6:36) We should follow God and do for others as He does for us- giving mercy and becoming merciful.

Songs of Mercy

King   David showed evidence that even though he was a great warrior, and king, he humbled himself before God. As made known in his praises of Psalms, and in his life story in general, there were many reasons for David in particular to do so, but one specifically- mercy. Even toward the end of his days, David acknowledges God's mercy and tenderness. He actually preferred to deal with God in  light of his transgressions, because he knew in his heart that God is a merciful God, and "His mercies are great." Man, however, especially in that day and time, was not as inclined to be so forgiving. (2 Samuel 24:14)

Back in his time of Psalm writing (Psalm 51), David recognized and asked for God's mercy. He realized his fault and infirmities, all the while knowing how forgiving God is and that He, in His "tender mercies" could "blot out [my] transgressions." As God did with David, so also will He do for us. God's mercy can be described as an undeserved pity given to us by our Creator. God knows that we are undeserving, but in spite of this, because of His loved toward us, decides to help us, and bless us, and grow us though we are broken and imperfect. This phenomenal gift is God's mercy. In order to receive this amazing gift we must go boldly before the throne.

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Christian Pillars: Prayer

Prayer, as mentioned before, is the Christians way of communicating with God. It is such a privilege to be able to come to our All-Powerful Creator and not only talk to Him, but to have Him hear us! By acknowledging and accepting what Jesus did for us by way of sacrifice, we have been given this wonderful gift- an opportunity to have a personal relationship with the Father and call Him "my God!"

"The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather change the nature of the one who prays."
Soren Kierkgaard

Examine Your Heart
All we who are born-again believers have access to direct communication with God. This direct communication, or prayer, is made possible by having our sin, which denies our access, washed away. This in essence, makes us not guilty and therefore with prayer a relationship is established with God. There is no limit to life when prayer is included. And while prayer is the best and most sure coarse of action, when trying to obtain something or have a request made, it should be geared more toward what we can do for God as opposed to what God can do for us. True, He said "Ask and ye shall receive..." (Matthew 7:7), but before we make requests, perhaps we should examine our hearts and confirm that our wants coincide with what God wants for us in accordance to His will and His way. If that is not the case, then maybe we are praying the wrong prayer, with the wrong intentions, at the wrong time. Before we pray, we should make sure that our hearts are in the right place with good intentions,faith, and a correspondence with what God wants for our lives and not what we want for ourselves.

There are proper ways of coming to the Lord God in prayer. We must call Him in truth (Psalm 145:18) and He will be nigh. "Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you: cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purify your hearts ye double-minded." Mark 11:25-26 speaks to the thought of forgiving and in turn having God forgive you. This verse among others explain that with every action that we take to be closer to God, He will reciprocate. Einstein's famous third theory of motion as we all know says,"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."In a Heavenly context, Our Father who is perfect, and holy, and pure, and gracious, and merciful...will hear us. And from that point He can be " a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," a healer of land and forgiver of sin for those who humble themselves, pray, and seek Him. This may require us to literally stop and take time to confer with ourselves. And after this necessary partaking, and we have have confirmed our good intentions and desire to correspond with God's will and way, it is immensely imperative that we proceed to communicate with God with a base of strong faith. We must believe that there is a God, that He hears us, and that if it be His will He will answer our requests. And while faith carries much power, "faith without works is dead."..............

The next Installment in this "Christian Pillars" Series will address faith and works. 

Thank you to all readers of any material from The Deception and the Truth Ministry. Thank you to family, friends, blood or otherwise. Also a special thank you to all those reading from other countries. The Deception and the Truth is not one person...it's us! Thank you again and God Bless!

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Think On These Things (pt 1)

Think On These Things

Those things that are of true importance are not those of the physical but those of the spiritual. We must see past the the carnal and tangible and see past what is of the flesh.In order to see, we must think and understand. And in order to think and understand, we must study to know in our minds. But beyond knowing in our minds, we must also, and perhaps more importantly, know in our hearts. I believe that the key to the soul is linked to the heart. Whatever is in our heart is a reflection of the direction of our souls. The things that we focus on will define us. 

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8-9

The above passage gives us an excellent road map toward the path that Jesus took. It gives us a list of things to think on. The author of this passage, the apostle Paul, lived this and is teaching us through such. Before when he was Saul, he gave in to the worlds wickedness, lies, and non-virtuous ways, only to "have his eyes opened" to the fact that the wrong road will lead you to Hell, but the way of Jesus will lead to God's glory and peace.

When all is said and done, those things that are corruptible and privy to decay will, in regards to eternity, fail us. But those things that are of God will set our soul on a coarse toward salvation through cleansing. Jesus sacrificed His life to give this to us. He only asks that we follow Him and do as He did. Turning away from decay, and heading toward a new path of life which guarantees growth. Nothing will be able to take this new path and growth from you because He who gave it loves you and would never take it away. Take a moment to pause and truly think about it. Jesus loved, died, and in turn gave...eternal life!

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Word of Life Missions Trip- Brittany Mickie

Word of Life Missions Trip- Brittany Mickie

Ladies and gentlemen. This is a wonderful opportunity to help God's will be done. Evangelism and giving are always blessed. Please click the link above and learn about how to support this trip and continue praying for my sister Brittany Mickie. Thanks!

https://give.wol.org/bnmickie

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Pray. Read. Do. (Christian Pillars pt.1)

Prayer is, for we who believe, a way to communicate with our Father and Creator. It gives us passage to be in the presence of God, and allows us to simply talk one-on-one with Him. Through prayer we are given the opportunity to take part in a truly intimate relationship with our God. In the name of Jesus Christ through the sacrifice that He became, we have been given access to communication with God. This in itself is important and amazing to think about! We, who are in no way worthy of anything remotely resembling favor with the All Mighty, are accepted and given solace in knowing that we can not only talk with the Creator but be loved by Him!

Prayer is communication with God, and when we communicate there is interaction two ways. Therefore, we should listen for a response. And the response will come from God through reading His Word and seeking to follow the ways of Jesus Christ. Everything that we need to know or even hear is addressed in the Bible. Many issues that we are faced with today are but replays in time with different characters. Love, deception, murder, betrayal, law, injustice, inequality, leadership- there are examples of these and many more situations in the Bible. We can learn from the best and the worst. God's Word is His response to the prayers of our lips as well as those of our hearts. The murmurs of our heart from situations that may be taxing on our souls are heard by God. In times of uncertainty and presumed inability to pray, God has already heard our heart. He wants to bless us and we have to do our part.

Even though God is as He is referred to in the Bible as being Omnipotent or All-Powerful, He will not just create a miracle to merely accommodate our whim. There is work to be done. To simply pray without offering or being willing to do anything to bring about growth, advancement, blessings and other such "requests" would be nothing more than naive. We must work for the things that we pray for with faith that God will bless it and that He will be there to catch us when we fall. Simply put, laziness is not rewarded. So faith without works is dead. Christians without an active faith are stagnant. We can not, for example, pray for someone to be blessed and not be willing to in fact become a blessing to them. Sometimes we must become the very thing that we pray for. Jesus Christ came to show the Way, and He himself was and still is the Way. What we do as Christians is not only done for others who are on earth in this physical realm, but also for God above, in the spirit realm, whom we have not seen.

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Boldly Before the Throne

“ Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 KJV

To be bold means to be daring, courageous. Not hesitating or fearful in the midst of danger or situations containing an unknown resolution.

What would we have to fear? Why would we hesitate? To be in the presence of He who created all things, who has all knowledge and power. Power to do what He so chooses at a whim, and knowledge of all our faults and thoughts. To come before Him would be ever so slightly[sarcasm]... intimidating. Yet this scripture says, “ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne,...” When we think of a throne, we think of a King or Queen or someone who has power and control. Perhaps one who has control of important aspects of our lives- finances, food, clothes, shelter, or even whether we live or die. For some, that throne maybe the La-Z-Boy in the living room, and the ruler, if you will, was Mama or Daddy, and all things mention were under their control from the food and shelter to life and death. The latter because of the phrase “I brought you into this world and…” That was something to fear. But I digress. This fear would be more so an awe-inspired respect. To know what the King has done and is capable of doing should slow us down, if but for a moment, to give him the impression that we are giving Him his just due. To come boldly would show confidence in a situation of unknown resolution. But is the resolution really unknown? Upon showing our confidence or being bold, we do so, not based upon our own merit, but…

Though Jesus.

Hebrews 10:19,20 says,”Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,  By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh…”

Once again we are told of the boldness. This passage verifies that it is solely by the blood of Jesus that we can be bold in the first place. Throughout Hebrews, there is mentioned a reference to Jesus as being likened unto a high priest. But the greatest difference was that Jesus was perfect. Never had their walked such a man as He. Not only perfect in his ways, but He Himself becoming the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Giving intercessions for us, providing us a way to have relationship with the Father and Eternal Life. And for this, He was the perfect sacrifice...

For us.

If and when we accept the blood, accept the sacrifice and realize why we needed it, we become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” We have a new life, a new direction, a new method of reaction towards things and people that, simply put, rub us the wrong way. He has consecrated this newness or made it sacred and holy because He Himself is Holy. It’s like the Midas touch. Everything it touched turned to gold. Well, everything that Jesus touched with His life became new. It became better than it ever could be and we can be the same way if we just open our hearts and open our minds to the sacrifice- the acceptance and giving through normally unbearable circumstances. His body, much like the veil in the temple, was broken, torn and fell. And because of this, we have been given access to a new life, a new direction, new grace, new mercy, new help, new healing, new sight, new love, new joy. Old things are passed away, and through Christ's perfect blood, we too are made new and can therefore, boldly come before the throne of grace…

With God.