Ready to go??

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Are we really, really for the rapture..or prepared to leave Earth to be with the Lord without reservation? As a Holy-Ghost filled, baptized in Jesus name believer in Christ, I often speak to God throughout the day. I kinda figured that with His grace, I’ll be able to breathe a prayer as needed before I get out of here.

A while ago, I was training a class when I heard a SUPER LOUD crash and the lights went out. Because the crash came so suddenly and loudly, it took me about 15 seconds to collect myself. For that short time, I didn’t even have the presence of mind to pray, and I “know better”! So what happens if you are saved, in the middle of letting someone “have it” who wronged you and the Lord comes? Will you have time to breathe a prayer of forgiveness? What if you are not saved according to Acts 2:38-39, and today is your appointed time to die? How do you know if you’ll have time to repent, be baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost?

My point? Saved folks: we need to stay prayed up, and ask the Lord to forgive us for any sin we asking forgiveness for whatever sin we have committed willfully– not practicing, mind you, I mean a slip or unknowingly. (For the extra-holy among us, I John 1:8 says if we say we don’t sin, the truth is not in us). We also should practice living according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as opposed to how people may treat us. Know that the energy we spend retaliating, worrying about things God asks us not to do can be better spent focusing on what we can do–praying and fasting in faith and trusting that all things work together for them love him and who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). If our focus is there, we’ll be in a much better position to be ready whenever He comes for us.

If you don’t know Jesus, now is a good time to get give your life to Him. Look at all the earthquakes, strange weather patterns, famine, heartache, increases in murders, suicides and the like. The Bible tells us this is just the beginning of sorrows. What more are you waiting to do? Isn’t the partying getting old? Drinking, smoking, doing drugs, being with a different person nightly tiresome? Why keep self-medicating to numb the pain of the past and fill your brokenness? Jesus is THE only one who can fix what’s broken. Being saved is NOT a life doomed to just church and Bible study (albeit important and needful fundamentals). Christ came that you might have life and that more abundantly (John 10:10). I am not speaking of pure prosperity, rather the peace of knowing a Savior who loves and is with you on your worst day (we do have those sometimes), He supplies your needs, the desires of your heart, according to His will and guarantees you a place in Heaven. Doesn’t that sound good? It’s yours for the asking no matter WHAT you have done– big or small! So just:

Repent— acknowledge you are a sinner (we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God Romans 3:23) and let the Lord know how sorry you are about your sins.

Be baptized in Jesus name Acts 4:12 says there is no other name under heaven where you can be saved. Your sins will be washed away! This act symbolizes your old self “dying” and you becoming a new creature.

The Holy Ghost will come : This baptism of the Spirit is where Jesus fills you with the Holy Spirit. The initial sign of this speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance. It happened in Acts 2 and STILL happens today. The Holy Spirit is ESSENTIAL in order to live according to God’s plan. This is the Keeper.

I won’t lie and promise that you will never be sad, lonely, heartbroken, or face trouble in your Christian walk. What God does promise is that He will take us through our trials and we will become stronger in Him for it, trust Him more and be able to encourage others as well. Am I right, saved readers?

I truly hope that this post has blessed you today. I share God’s heart in that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). Come on over to the “won side” with Jesus. Saved folks, let’s keep our spiritual house in order at all times and practice walking the peace God promises us in Philippians 4:6, shall we? Unsaved readers, its not too late–take advantage of God’s offer today!

Be blessed today and always!

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Of bread, stones, fish and serpents…

Hey family,

A couple of my young people/nieces got on me about not having posted an entry in a while, so I took my spanking 😀 (thanks Portia and Wanda) and got to typing! I was talking to the Lord one day and He brought the familiar Scripture of Matthew 7:7-11.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.” (Matthew 7:7-11 NKJV)

Usually we focus on the “good part” where we are “given,” “find” and “doors opened”. Now don’t get me wrong, I like the good part, too! The Lord had me look at the part of the Scripture that speaks on bread, stones, fish and serpents. Allow me to explain.

When we ask God for things, sometimes, while we have the best of intentions, it may be the wrong thing—it’s just not good for us–i.e. stone or serpent “gifts”. Because of our finite minds and limited understanding, we often get upset when we do not get what we ask for. I won’t lie and say it’s pleasant to hear “no”, it’s really for our good when God delays or denies our request.

Rather than stewing in the “no”, we have to ask God to help us realize the way He answered our request equates to fish or bread. Think about it—fish and bread are life-sustaining, nutritious, nourishing, tasty and just plain good for you, even if you do not like it.  On the other hand, a stone or a serpent can hurt, maim or even kill you—NOTHING good is coming from those things at all!  The other thing to remember is to ask God to take away our DESIRE for stones and serpents. Are you wondering what I mean? Glad you asked!

Who wants this?! Not me!

Going back to how we handle the “no”, when we don’t get what we want, we’ll pout, cry, get upset with God, stop giving, witnessing or maybe—go outside the will of God to get it.  It may not be malicious or intentional—we just want things our way and that leads us away from the bread and fish and towards the serpents and stones–not a good look or feel! Why is it that we gravitate toward the things that are NOT good for us?!  Say it with me, ya’ll: (in Jesus name), “no more serpents, no more stones, fish and bread forevermore!” Ok, I know my rhyme is corny, but you get the point, right?

Bottom line: There are so many good, no better things God has for us—we just have to have the desire for the good and trust that God loves us and always provides best gifts for us (even though it doesn’t seem like it at the time).

I hope this blessed you family! Stay in the will of God!

Love,

Blen

 

Pic courtesy of: http://blueimagegallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Black-Snake-31.jpg&w=800&h=627&ei=7UssUNyMCcXb6gHg6oBw&zoom=1

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Rats, Turkeys and Fruit…

 

Hey family!

Be Jive Turkey free!

Summer is fast approaching and in all the sunshine and excitement of the season, we still need to be prayerful and on high turkey alert! I learned a little more about turkeys from rats. Let me  “‘splain.”

I was flipping channels awhile back and caught a show called Rat Wars. It was a show about a New York City exterminator, who was ridding the Big Apple of these pesky rodents, who in some cases had overtaken the homes and businesses of some of his clients.  The guy mentioned that rats were smart creatures, and I thought “yeah, right”. But he was right!

Yep, I am smart~Trust!

What happened was, the exterminator set traps and noticed just a few of the rats were caught. Reason? He said some of the rats watched the others go to the traps and get caught/killed. The rats who stood by were astute enough to know to avoid the trap! If a creature that God made who hasn’t attended a day of school, nor have the Holy Ghost as a guide, knows to watch and avoid entrapment, how much better can we do? I’m just saying……Ok, keep that in mind and read on.

In my travels a few years ago, I met up with a dude in whom we had mutual acquaintances. We got to talking about the folks we knew and life in general, so I mentioned about being my saved, etc. Bozo did inform me that church girls were “easy to get with”–something about desperation and some other monkeyshine not worth repeating.  I don’t know how he thought his statements were attractive, but I was as hot as a freshly lit firecracker!  The truth is either he had that experience or was conducting a test. Either way, I know I wasn’t about to become a case study for Dr. Strangelove!!  If you really want to get to know someone, let them talk–God will let you know what’s up! What’s in the heart comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:18).

Next is the saved-looking fruit. I notice, is that once we ID the fruit we like, we immediately hook up. “Oh well, there’s a saved-looking pear, that’s the one for me!”  Don’t misunderstand me, if one person is saved, the other NEEDS the Holy Ghost, no doubt. Salvation does not equal compatibility or God’s will.  Experience has taught me there is value in taking your time and developing a friendship based on mutual interests, experiences, goals and values. It’s also important to see where you differ and how negotiable those areas are. This way, if it is not God’s will for you to be together, you hear and see with a clear heart, rather than with a heart that has developed feelings and rationalization. I also believe that in the end, you will remain friends with no hard feelings or unforgiveness.

A former post I wrote about women not being the “low-lying fruit”,  got a little attention from a couple of guys I’m cool with on Facebook.  One young man who had his share of the easy fruit, said that eating fruit off the ground  “can make you sick”.  I didn’t think about that at the time I wrote it, but its true. Many times the fruit that’s just laying on the ground,  although convenient, is overripe, worm-ridden, bug-filled, spotty and rotten.  Sometimes women even go and pick the fruit, (rather than waiting to be picked). How did that work out for you?

Whether you are the low-branch fruit or pick it up, it may fill you up for now, but give you a bellyache, long-term illness or even death! As we mature, it’s important to recognize foolish behavior and correct it immediately. Do not pick off the tree! Didn’t we learn from Eve? LOLOLOL! Seriously, it’s better to wait and be picked properly. Proverbs says 9:6 Forsake the foolish and live; and go in the way of understanding. Why willingly die of from an avoidable case of “foolish”?

The bottom line:  I know there are some fantastic, stand-up guys out there—I am friends with quite a few and look forward to meeting more as my life progresses. In the spirit of watchfulness, the Bible says to watch and pray…(Matt 26:41) AND that you will know folks by their fruit (Matt 7). If it looks like a grape, yet talks thorns, then something is amiss. No matter how many grapes you thought you saw or have continuously look for, it’s a thorn bush. Pray for God’s divine (not permissive) will to be done and clarity in your thoughts and decision making so the decks are clear for your real blessing!

Thanks for reading and be blessed!

Love,

~Blen

Jive Turkey pic: http://www.newsrealblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/jiveTurkey.png

Rats pic: http://www.show31.com/2012/04/20-amazing-facts-about-rats.html

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Something on the inside…

Happy 2012..Let the Lord work on the inside!

Hey family!

It’s been another minute! I was compelled not to let 2011 go and 2012 come without a comment! 😀

So, a little while back, I watched a show* where a young girl was this close to relaxing her curly hair because a boy liked her hair that way. Long story short, it turned out to be a misunderstanding–of course all works out well in on TV! I got thinking..

First…chica even wanting to change her natural hair for some turkey…ya’ll ALREADY know how I feel about that—-BOO! Why we go all out to change who we are to please another human–especially one that God hasn’t sent you or told you is for another post!!  My main thought is around how easy we will change for people…and not so much for God.

While we do want to pay attention our physical appearance, we need to concentrate on what’s happening on the inside. Is God pleased with how we “look”? How much effort do we put into changing for Him?
When we live for Christ, we  should willingly take on His characteristics and personality in our words, thoughts and deeds. While this isn’t “natural” for us, it’s not impossible as God will give us the mind, strength and grace to please Him with the Holy Ghost and Word as our guide.  If we allow Jesus work on the inside, the “fruit” (love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, self-control and goodness, Galatians 5:22) will show up on the outside. After all, salvation does indeed beautify us (Psalm 149:4) and will “attract” others to us, as well as “repel” folk that aren’t in a place to have prime time in our lives (by the way that’s a good opportunity to pray).

As 2011 ends and 2012 begins, let us continue to ask God to bless us to beautify the inner man with His word as we continue to bless Him and be who He’s called us to be in Jesus name!

My prayers go out for you all that God’s richest blessings be with you in 2012 and beyond!

Love,

Blen

*The show was Reed Between the Lines with Tracee Ross and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Currently, it airs on BET on Tuesdays…it also comes on at random times during the week.

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Rejoice with them that rejoice… right?

Hey family,

Welcome new followers–God bless you! And faithful followers, God bless you as well!! Years ago, I worked with a wise woman of God who used to quote Proverbs 10:22 when the Lord blessed her with something. She’d say aloud,  “the blessing of the Lord, it makes rich and He adds no sorrow to them”.  I used to chuckle when she said it, but I think I finally got why she said it.

Praise is what we do.

While we are happy to receive the blessings from God as He gives them, it is sometimes a challenge to share our news with people, in part because of the reaction we may receive. As we testify or people witness the blessings of God in our lives, ideally we’d like for them to be happy for us. Very often, people may comment adversely, causing us to not want to share how God made a way.

I raised my daughter as a single parent, which was a challenge to the third power sometimes–especially financially. The Lord saved me when she was 3, which did not  put me on Easy Street— He did send “ex-ree” 😀 blessings down on occasion. Whenever I wore something new to work, a former co-worker would notice and ask me “how can you afford that?” Oh, it gets better! Another ex-coworker–no, a manager once said, “I don’t know how you can dress all matched up like you do. I don’t have time to comb my hair. ” *insert hair blown back here* Of course that comment was a reference to me not being married , but “Sue-Ann” didn’t know it was with God’s grace getting my child and myself together every morning. On another occasion, the Lord blessed me to get some “accoutrements” on my car.  Someone went to my superior and said something like, “Blenda’s got money to do that– that’s not cheap!” Seriously?! Is that any way to react to someone received a blessing? Comments and attitudes like that are enough to make you stop testifying altogether.  But it shouldn’t.

Psalm 107:8 says, “oh that men would praise the name for His wonderful works to the children of men”.  And since He doesn’t add sorrow to His blessings, we should not be sorry or fearful for what He’s done, rather tell of His goodness! When Jesus healed and forgave folk in the Bible, they ran and told that thing to all who would listen!

Now it is true everyone can’t handle hearing about your blessings, so tune into God to find out who you can celebrate with and how to handle the naysayers. You may find the “negatory” folk are the ones who need to hear about God’s goodness and the plan of salvation.   If they are saved already, gently remind them that all that’s good and perfect comes from Him–and ask what good has happened in their lives lately.

Lest you think this post is about receiving all a ton of material things from God, that’s NOT my point. God has blessed me to grow spiritually, be healed emotionally, sustained physically, and be kept financially–and I am not sad about that at all!  With all that’s going on bad in the world, we really have a lot to be thankful– not sorrowful for.

Go ‘head and testify. I will praise God with you!

Be blessed all!

Blen

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