But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Gen 4:5 (KJV)

The story of Cain and Abel is a clear representation of this phenomenon. Abel brought God his best and it was received. Conversely, Cain brought whatever he wanted and it was not received; Cain got upset. Today, examine your walk with Christ. Are you upset at other Christians who seem to be successful in their walk with God? It is probably because they are bringing God their best. But the “best” does not reside only in the quality of service, but in the character behind the service. Cain lacked both.

Remember, in the story of Cain and Abel, they each did bring an offering. So, our best is not revealed in performing religious activities and devotion, but in our attitude and approach. To bring God your best is to do it with the right motives and a sincere heart. Cain did not bring his best offering due to his attitude, while Abel’s proper attitude was revealed in him bringing the best.

The Christian, today, has to be honest. When you pray, read, serve, minister, and attend services, are you bringing God your best? Again, this is revealed in your attitude and approach. These are affected by your level of spiritual growth and development. Your character as a Christian will directly influence whether your are bringing God your best.

Do you do render service and faithful to God out of necessity and fear or from a pure heart with gladness. Gladness of heart comes from a place of mature character. David encouraged the worshippers to “serve the Lord with gladness.”

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Psalms 100:2 (KJV)

If not your service is not in gladness, ask for help and forgiveness because He will bless, heal, and restore. As you continue to develop your character, you can only “Bring God Your Best.”

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God is the author of life. His very words contain creative power. When He created the earth, He did it through the power of His famous words, “Let there be…” Until this present day, all things that were set in motion remain by the power of His word. From other scriptures, we discover that aside from the power of His words, God’s thoughts and intents will certainly happen. In the book of Isaiah, God declares,

The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand (Isaiah 14:24)

Whatever the will of the Lord is shall surely happen. Without even speaking, if God thinks or purposes to do something, it will happen. Thus, we understand that God possesses all power.

Because of the awesome power of God, He can turn around the unclean things of our lives. The Book of Job asks, “Who can bring a clean out of an unclean?” – God can. God brings impossible things to fruition. The Bible abounds with accounts of God doing the impossible in the midst of man’s impossible situations. Jesus reminded the disciples that with God, all things are possible.

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

Though men readily accept the awesomeness of God’s power, some do not believe that this power is available in times of personal failures. If God is able to do all things, then our failures in life do not frustrate His work.  He is able to turn them around. This is assured if we desire His will for our lives.

Whatever God has purposed for your life will come to pass if you continue to follow Him. However, many members in the Body of Christ become complacent in their relationship with the Lord because they believe they have made too many mistakes. This leads to self-doubt, regrets, depression, and frustration. These things will bring death to one’s relationship with Christ.

The Bible is full of stories describing man’s failure and God’s restoration. Even God’s choicest servants failed. Yet, they were able to recover and receive what God had for them in their lives. From Genesis to Revelation, the cycle of failure to redemption to destiny is repeated. This cycle is repeated in the lives of believers today. However, understand that God is willing to restore and renew.

Allow Him to turn around the past contraventions, your present’s contentions, and your future concerns. Develop fervor in allowing Him to transform your life. God can turn it around.

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Excuses! Excuses! Excuses! Have you ever met someone who had nothing but excuses? After a while, it becomes evident that excuses become covers for some internal weakness or hindrance. Many are afraid to try and then fail. Is that you? Others are afraid of responsibility and accountability that comes from promotion and success? Is that you? Others are just plain lazy. They love personal comfort. They want maximum results with little effort. Is that you? It is time for no more excuses. It is time to redirect your focus.

Excuses, however, is the shield that many Christians use to justify their lack of growth and maturity in the walk with Christ. Many say that the Church is not right. This is an excuse for non attendance. Others say that they were hurt or disappointed by those in the Church. This becomes an excuse not to fellowship. Then, there are those who say the Bible is hard to understand and their prayer time does not seem spiritual. This serves as an excuse not develop a relationship through the study of the scriptures and personal prayer and devotion. In this lesson, we want to deal with a chief excuse among Christians as to the lack of service, devotion, and development of their relationship with God. It is four powerful letters – L-I-F-E.

There are numerous things in life that cannot and will not change. For reasons unknown, God does allow Christians to experience many hard and challenging situations. Because of the intensity, stress, and difficulty that life brings, many are in a holding pattern in the walk with God. They are waiting for life to slow down; that is, become easier. When this happens, then they will develop their relationship with Christ. This is not a good posture to take with one’s personal salvation and spiritual growth.

The Bible tells us that Christians will suffer and David’s words are true where he states that many are the affliction of the righteous. However, the trials, tests, and tribulations that come are no excuse to stop pursuing Him and developing our relationship with Him. If you never get the job you want, pursue Him. If you never get married, pursue Him. If members of your family do not receive Him, pursue Him. Do not allow things that you cannot change to become excuses for your lack of personal growth and maturity.

Does this mean that I should not pray and stand in expectation? NO! However, it does mean that if God sees fit to allow the situation to continue, do not lose your faith in Him. He knows all things. The Bible is full of stories of people who served God, but had to experience very, very, hard times. Just know this that if we suffer with Him, we will reign in the life that is to come. Some feel that because their lives are not going how they would like, there is no real reason to continue to serve Him. Do not allow this mindset to grip you. Remember, our salvation not only has promise in this life, but the one that is to come. In that Day, you will not remember and the difficulties of this life will not come into mind. There will be rejoicing and reward.

Lose the excuses. Allow God to continue to develop you. Allow His light to shine even in hard situations. If you have lasted this long, it is only because He has been with you. Go on to maturity in Him that in the middle of your worst situations, you can maintain joy, peace, strength, and an ever increasing faith in Him. It is only in losing personal excuses that the Christian is able to focus on Christ and His plan and purpose for his/her life.

Well, there you have it! Until next time, continue to be steadfast and unmoveable in your walk with the Lord. If you would like more lessons and exhortations for Christian living,  I have included them in detail in my book, “Is there a Word from the Lord? (Book IV): Lessons for Redirecting the Focus, the Fears, and the Fervor of the Christian,” which can be found at Kingdom Builders Publishing and Amazon.com.

Christians may not wrestle with belief in His existence, but they do wrestle with belief in His willingness to intervene in their life affairs. In this state, spiritual development is frustrated. This type of erroneous thinking frustrates many. Causes for this thinking vary from individual to individual. Some do not believe because they do not think they deserve anything from God. Others feel that they have done so much wrong that God could not possibly hear their requests. Yet, others feel that if they are not a “called” person then God is not concerned about them. All of these thoughts are inconsistent with sound biblical doctrine. Here are 3 reasons why a Christian must not stop believing in God (through prayers) who will walk with them daily:

1. We are instructed to pray. Jesus taught on numerous occasions concerning prayer. He said that we are to always pray and not faint. The parable He used demonstrated that even though we may have to pray about a situation more than once, it does not mean we will not get our request. We should come to Him in prayer, again, because He said so. He gives an open invitation. Why not receive it?

2. We are instructed to pray in expectation. He told us to ask in faith, believing we will receive from Him. Though there are times when our requests are rejected (for our benefit nonetheless), we can never stop believing that He will give us what we have asked for. He said that everyone that asks will receive. Jesus said that if our earthly fathers knew how to give good things, how much more our heavenly Father. If you are bold enough to make the supplication, He is God enough to perform it.

3. We are instructed to pray so that God would receive glory. When we pray and God answers accordingly, He receives glory. How? We bring glory to His name personally and as tell others of His good works towards us. God receives no glory in unanswered prayers. Trust that He will do it for you. Develop your times of prayer before Christ. Do not doubt His presence and power to perform your requests. If it is not in His will, He will give you peace in the midst of it. Remember, never accept defeat in faith: Don’t Stop Believing.

Well there you have it. Until next time, continue in Him who is faithful. If you would like more inspirational materials, this and more is included in my book, “Is there a Word from the Lord? (Book II),” which can be found at Kingdom Builders Publishing and Amazon.com.

1) God EXPECTS those that come to Him to be holy. Jesus Christ freed men from the law, but not from living morally upright before God. As Peter wrote to the believers, he reminded them of God’s command to His people.

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.1 Peter 1:15-16 (KJV)

Remember, God sets the parameters of holiness. It is not defined by what we are comfortable with or what we agree with. He identifies Himself as holy. This clearly demonstrates that our actions should reflect who He is.

2) One has to be holy to ESCAPE the coming judgment. Understand, faith in Christ is what saves men from their sin. However, after coming to Him, we still must live a life theat clearly reflects the faith and our relationship with Him.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness…? 2 Peter 3:11 (KJV)

3) The Christian who is holy serves as an EXAMPLE of the faith. The Christian’s lifestyle of holiness is a visible manifestation of the work of Christ. Paul reveals this in his exhortation to Timothy,

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.1 Tim 4:12 (KJV)

Christ died for man’s forgiveness and freedom from sins. When others see a changed life, they come face-to-face with the power of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Well there you have it! Holiness is not a religion or belief system, it is the defining quality of God that is to be reflected in His people. Until next time, continue in Him whose eyes are upon those who wait for Him.

1) The Holy Spirit Changes our Self-Perception – His presence in us causes changes to how we view ourselves. As a Christian embraces his new life in Christ, his actions will be a reflection of the faith.

2) The Holy Spirit Changes our Minds – The Holy Spirit helps the believer to make the right decisions. When the Christian is faced with sin, the Holy Spirit will remind the Christian of Christ’s words and standards. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This work continues as we walk with Christ.

3) The Holy Spirit Changes our Weaknesses – If we yield to the Spirit, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. As we yield to Him, our weaknesses change into strengths. When we walk in the Spirit, the flesh will not cause us to stumble.

4) The Holy Spirit Changes our Outlook – The world is governed by excess and evil. Individuals are motivated by greed, desire, and selfish impulses. The Holy Spirit will change the Christian’s outlook; that is, motivation for living. His presence changes the Christian’s approach also.

5) The Holy Spirit Changes our Manner of Living – His presence in us helps us to live as Christ lived. The Christian will desire to live to bring glory to Christ that has saved him.

So there we have it. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we can change. Stand on the dogma of change. We can be saved and transformed into the image of Christ and live a life that is pleasing to God.

Until next time, continue to strive for the crown of life that is promised to every Christian. If you would like more inspirational material, I have presented more resources in my book entitled “Is there a Word from the Lord? (Book II),” which can be found at Kingdom Builders Publishing and Amazon.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? Psalms 22:1 (KJV)

Some reading this post know this scripture oh so well. It forms the basis of thoughts and prayers. Why does God allow us to experience so many hard things? Why does it seem as if He is unresponsive to our prayers and requests? It feels as if He does not care about what we are going through. We know from David’s words and the words of Christ on the cross that it happens in the life of those who possess faith in God. We may not always understand why or receive an answer from Him about why we have to go through so many bad things. Yet, we must maintain our faith, hope, and trust in Him. To survive the My God, My God moments your life, there are three things you have to remember.

1. The Promise of God. Though it may seem as if God has forsaken you and left you alone, He gave a promise saying that He will never leave you, nor forsake you. What this reveals is that even when it seems like He is not there. He is. His presence is the only reason you have not quit or had a breakdown. He is constantly giving strength, so that when you think you will not make it, you do somehow.

2. The Plan of God. It does seem insensitive when someone says to us that God has a plan when we are experiencing devastating situations such as death, sickness, loss of job, and other life changing events. It seems this way because we associate God’s plan with just events and circumstances, not understanding that God’s plan revolves around the souls of men and their salvation. We may not always agree, but God does have our best interest in mind. Negative circumstances can either draw us closer to Him or we can allow them to push us away from Him. In addition, God’s plan may be that others see your faith in the midst of your trials and troubles which brings glory to Him.

3. The Peace of God. Jesus promised His disciples that His peace would be left them after He was gone. He told them that they would have troubles and tribulations, but His peace and joy would be with them. This is the part that we sometimes forget about. God gives peace and joy because we would experience hardships and difficulties. The problem is that we focus on God changing the situation, rather than on the fact that He can give peace, joy, grace, and strength while we go through it. The peace of God is available, but we have to ask for it, receive it, and walk in it.

Our cry sometimes may be, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” However, we can trust His character that He knows what is best and offers strength when we face difficulties. The truth is He will not abandon you. Continue to believe, hope, and trust knowing that it will be worth it all when we see Him when this present life is over and we enter into our eternal rest. Do not let life’s frustrations be the downfall of your spiritual walk and growth.

Well, there you have it. Until next time, walk worthy of Him who has called you by His name.

There are Christians who live as if there is no standard of living for them after they have received Christ. Each of these groups of people are not prepared for their date with destiny; that is, the moment that they will stand before the judgment seat of God and of Christ.

Because of the sure promises of scripture, we must all prepare (watch) to meet Christ at His return or at our departure from this life. Therefore, we want to give three things that we can do to be prepared for our entrance into eternity.

1. Clothe Ourselves - In the scriptures, righteousness and good morals are likened unto clothing. We must make sure we are clothed with the attributes of proper Christian character and conduct.

For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. Isaiah 59:17 (KJV)

2. Clean Ourselves – We must make sure that we are open with God about our weakness so that He can forgive us and cleanse us. Then, with His help, we must turn from thoughts and deeds that do not please Him.

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil. Isaiah 1:16 (KJV)

3. Clock Ourselves - To clock means to keep track of time. In order for us to be prepared for our eternal destination, we must be aware of the times that we are living in. In addition, we must know that we will only live for a specified length of time on this earth. Therefore, we must live with this in mind, which should help us to prepare ourselves continually.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Romans 13:11 (KJV)

The Christian can be assured of His eternal salvation, but he must not take it for granted. Christ came to save us from our sins, which enables us to overcome them while we live. This prepares us for eternal life in the kingdom. Live  in expectation of the kingdom. Are you watching?

Well, there you have it. For more topics of interest, I have included this and more information in my inspirational series entitled, “Is There A Word From the Lord? – Book III” which is available at Kingdom Builders Publishing.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)

Every Christian is commanded to grow. There must be spiritual progress. Jesus taught that every branch (person) in Him is expected to produce fruit. This is a sign of growth. Spiritual growth is challenging process, but has eternal rewards. In striving for personal development, the Christian has to overcome faulty self-perception, the opinions of others, and the lies that the enemy may bring to the mind. Therefore, we want to offer four keys that Christians can employ to stimulate personal growth in their lives and in their walk with Christ.

Respect the Lord – If you do not respect the Lord, you will not follow His commands, frustrating your growth. Wisdom precedes growth and wisdom is achieved through the fear of the Lord. If you want to grow, you have to have a respect and reverence for God, His Word, and His Standards. Without these, you will not have the proper perspective and passion for personal growth.

Rely on the Bible – The Bible reveals God’s eternal plans and purposes. As we rely on it as our standard for living, growth is a direct by-product. If you want to grow, it has to be done through applying the principles of scripture to daily living.

Rehearse Your Needs in Prayer – Personal growth will not be achieved without consistency in prayer. In prayer, you can express to Christ your concerns and areas of weakness. In prayer, you can receive strength to overcome obstacles; including self-imposed obstacles. Prayer raises your sensitivity to Christ. Hence, your heart will be open to change which leads to growth. Jesus said that men should always pray and not faint. Do not give up on prayer because you do not see immediate results, for it will have eternal rewards.

Redirect Your Desires – When we hear the word “desires,” we usually think of fleshly lusts. Though it is a part of desire, desires also include wanting things to go a certain way or feeling we are right in our opinions. If your desires are not redirected, you will not be open to correction and discipline. Every Christian has to be disciplined in their lifestyle and manner. In doing so, you will overcome the desire to please yourself. In turn, your desires will be redirected towards pleasing God. This will definitely lead to growth.

Personal growth does require persistence. However, it can be a consistent element in your life because we can do all things through Jesus. God wants the Christian to mature in Him. So, if you want to grow, you will receive strength and support. He will help you. Understand you have no excuse: be determined – Don’t Stop Growing.

Well there you have it. Until next time, continue in Him who is faithful. If you would like more inspirational materials, this and more is included in my book, “Is there a Word from the Lord? (Book II),” which can be found at Kingdom Builders Publishing.

PATERNAL – I know it sounds a little cliche’, but I had never experienced these types of feelings before. When I saw my son for the first time, I realized that I am responsible for this child’s development. Whatever I said and did would directly affect who he would be in the future. This type of responsibility transcended those which were common to life (going to work, paying bills, etc…). I felt a connection to this new life though we had never had a conversation or enjoyed an afternoon outing.

PRIDE - No, I did not have the ‘proud dad of a son’ syndrome (OK, maybe a little!). The type of pride I felt was that of appreciation and future expectations. To me personally, it signified a complete entrance into adulthood. I also was overwhelmed with a sense of duty: I would be the best father that I could be. Not that I would try to be like or unlike any other father, but I would be the best that I could be. It gave me a sense of foresight that when I am old and gray, I could rest in knowing I did what I thought was best for this child.

PROMISE – Up until this time, my outlook on the world was somewhat bleak. With all of the many problems and ills of society, I could not see why anyone would want to bring a child into this world. However, I realized that new life brings new hope. If I bring him up in a positive fashion, the world may be a little better. And, I had renewed hope and promise that he did not have to be negatively affected by all that was happening in the world. If I made it through many things, he could also.

PERSPECTIVE – I never envisioned how much I would change at the birth of my child. I thought I would still be me, even though I was a parent. However, my whole perspective changed. It was no longer just me or at this point ‘me who was married.’ My approach and perspective to life changed drastically to accommodate parenthood and all of its dynamics. Now, the change in perspective has definitely been beneficial. It has challenged me as a man, husband, and father to be in tune with what occurs around me. Because I am reminded daily: “This child will be a direct reflection of who I am.”

There you have it! These are the confessions of a new father. Emotional transitions and realizations once frustrated me and I resisted them. Today (4 years later), I appreciate them all; knowing that they have changed me for the better and will help me to be a better father.