Serving Christ is not popular, not self-seeking, and not self-serving.
We all have this in common as believers in Christ — we must learn to communicate with The LORD through Prayer. We must learn to be still — and know HE is God!
A very important part of Prayer is listening in total silence.
Getting to know The LORD is the most important part of your day. We find our place of humility in our Secret Place.
This place is an activity of making ourselves be still and know HE is God. When we find that close presence and a richness in our walk with The LORD that makes it all worthwhile.
I relish silence, presence, peace, kindness, and love; these are only some of my rewards for each day.
If we are rebellious or don’t want to repent, change, or do what God says. It is kind of how The LORD sent a message to David then within each message God sends and if we do not heed, HE will have to discipline us for we are His children.
For David to repent, God had to send a prophet to the Kings palace. Please study 2 Samuel.
Nathan the prophet was in anguish over what David had done for months.
How many times has God tried to reach us? How long?
David was human — like we are — and a man after the heart of God.
I know God tried to reach David, but David wanted the sin to remain hidden. For this could not be resolved by a cover up, hiding, and hoping it would have never happened.
Another tangled web was that He loved Bathsheba, and the King sent her husband Uriah the Hittite, (one of David’s mighty men) to the front of the battle so he would die.
Nathan’s message wasn’t flattering words of a riddle. God had a plan and a method on how to continue to confront the King’s sins of adultery, murder, deceit, and preconceived evil intent, as David willingly tried to hide it all.
Nathan confronted David for what he did and tried to hide. He even predicted the child would die.
From that time on the King suffered greatly having anguish for his actions and His own consequences in his own family. Because of these sins, the baby David and Bathsheba bore would die.
Sometimes God will ask us to go to a brother that we offended, even if we perceive no offense!
A lot of times people think we have offense with them when we do not. We all deal with faulty people like me! It’s best to say it!
It’s alright you’re going to make it. You are so loved and God has your plan in His hand.
We need to remember people are insecure and we learn to trust HIM. Even if they did or didn’t offend.
We are in a family, the family of God. And in God’s best family no one throws out brother, sister cousins and aunts and uncles out!
God loves all of us and wants peace in the house. We obey because God sees it all.
May we repent, heal, and repair the links of what we have done Knowingly and unknowingly.
It begins by communications to God first so that HIS lines of communication and connections are repaired.
We are all tested by The LORD to see if we are dead to our flesh and to ask for forgiveness or to give forgiveness.
Sometimes that is very difficult, because if we aren’t dead to our flesh, pride will come in.
You have seen it, a nose up at you who cannot forgive. Pride has a very high price tag and if not dealt with, we will be chained to our pride and our lives to mediocrity.
Yes, being stuck and held captive in the midst of seemingly comfort and peace?
Many churches are this way and have rejected the Word of The LORD and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Many have chosen that road and such damage to themselves and others.
God has given us the weapon of HIS WORD. And he has released us but sometimes we linger where we are comfortable.
God does give us R&R as His soldiers and MAKES us lay down by the streams of water, He restores our soul!
All these things are important in our walk with God. However, remaining in that place can become bondage.
There are some who have adapted to their shackles, chains, and limitations and because they don’t realize that God wants them set free!
The honest reality? There are people who really choose to remain there because it is comfortable. There are Churches that want that comfort too.
There is a gathering together with those of like heart and like mind, and like Spirit.
It is important that we must be under the right spirit. We all must have our own relationship with God and not depend on a leader in any form.
He or she is just one person and there is no way that one can do everything.
There’s bondage in The Church! People adapt to bondage, but God’s Word is not bound.
When we remove those shackles and chains and get uncomfortable and begin to walk in a new and living way, we will follow in the steps of The LORD whose love is higher than the highest mountain, and deeper than the deepest sea.
He sees you right where you are!
Some people like the limitations of the chain or shackles and it makes them appear as something of worth when all it does is keep you comfortable in mediocrity and false humility.
We must remember that when we feel so alone that we are not alone. We are connected to a larger network called the Church. How we respond to the people in the world we deal with daily can make or break us. It can ruin our witness or break us.
When we are offended God forgives us but with man it is never the same.
However, in Christ I do believe a child of God can forgive and forget. But it takes time, a lot of patience, work, and love.
Remember the life of King David and the consequences he endured in his family till his dying day.
We must move on regardless. Yes, there is sorrow, heaviness, and we grieve over a relationship; but God says don’t look back.
When God reveals a sin in us, or others, whom we offended, we are accountable to work on rebuilding ourselves and others.
We are accountable for what we speak and what we let grow in our heart. We are those lively stones being built into a spiritual house.
We are accountable for what we speak, and it can damage what God wants us to know.
“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, an precious yes, also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” 1 Peter 2:4-6 KJV
By our surrender to God and for His help, God can take everything and turn it around for good.
God is merciful but people on the other hand are not. Pride comes before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction.
We remember the battles to keep the victories. There are always reminders when we forget we are headed down a slippery slope. Our past experiences should teach us and others we know.
Sometimes we are the one the finger is pointed at. I know for me it is time to do some soul searching for my own life!
Nathan did not enjoy his job, he works for God and his reward for his obedience is to walk closely with The LORD.
Whoever can rejoice over a brother or sister being disciplined is not wise, we need to turn our head away or we can end up the same way of the whipping stick.
The prophet Nathan had to show the King because the King was not listening.
There was now a very heavy price tag attached to his willful sin.
God will let us take charge over our lives and let us experience the consequences of our sin.
Our willful disobedience to God would cause our discipline. None of us are without sin and especially willful sin.
In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey
New Beginning Christian Ministries International 