Well its that time again and tomorrow we will all be thinking about what we are thankful for as we enjoy thanksgiving day dinner. It is at this time that we take mental inventory on all of the blessings that we have had had this year and began to thank God for these things. Well have you ever thanked him for the thorns? You know the thorns are all part of Gods plan too, right?
What are the thorns you may be wondering….

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

Many times as Christians, we succumb to the misconception that “blessings” or things in which we are to be thankful for are all that we wanted and actually received or things that make us happy.

Well, more times than not, I have had instances in my life in which I prayed for one thing but got another. In my dismay, God would teach me that in order for me to responsibly handle what I prayed for, I had to develop characteristics that I learned through the “thorns” in my life. In other instances, God had other plans for me than those in which I prayed for and the thorns kept me from actively pursuing a path that wasn’t Gods best. These thorns can come via disappointments, trials, tribulations, difficult relationships or anything that has caused you to plead with the Lord. In retrospect, I have always been thankful for these thorns, as they kept me ever so cognizant of my desperate need for the grace only Christ could provide. Subsequently, these thorns have also kept me in the path that God has for me.

SO this Thanksgiving.. When you sit down in front of your turkey (or veggies for vegans) and begin to think about what your thankful for, begin to praise God for even the thorns of your life.

For when you begin to also thank Him for these thorns, you will enter in to a deeper realization of the great plan He has for your life and develop a greater trust in God regardless of your situation. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11

Living in a world that continually feeds us bigger and better things, it can be difficult to enjoy what you have. I mean, think about it. You get that cell phone you want, and out comes an apple phone or you get that car you’ve been saving for and out came the 2010 edition!

A couple of months ago, I found myself in a place in my life where I was finding it more and more difficult to be thankful for things. I found myself desperately trying to climb the corporate ladder and was even considering moving to make a higher income. I also found myself desiring material items that would give me “status.” It hit me one day when I took inventory in my spiritual life and was in shock when I realized that I had so easily been sucked into a mindset that encourages me to continually get the biggest and best things.  Yes things, not relationships or friendships or wisdom, but things of no eternal value to me. In the blink of an eye, I had adapted such worldly concepts; it shocked me how quickly I could turn into be sucked into this way of thinking.

Philippians 4:11-13:  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

It is the little things in life that we ought to be thankful for. I have learned that God will never leave me lacking-He gives me enough to fill my stomach, enough to pay my bills, enough to live comfortably and enough to be content. The other morning I saw a sunrise so beautiful, I had to take a picture of it to capture its beauty. It was then that I came to the realization that I need to be thankful for the small things in life, the sunrises, my good friends, my job, the sales I catch in the stores (yes you can be thankful for that too!) and just thankful for being redeemed. It is when I came to the realization that if everything I owned disappeared, It would still take me an eternity to thank the Lord for the blessings He has given me, because the greatest gifts I have are the ones that are unseen.

My prayer for you today is to take inventory today. Be sure to thank the Lord today for what He has done for you. Whether you find yourself today in need or in plenty, be sure to thank Him for His goodness to you today.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Matthew 16:13

I find it absolutely amazing that you can poll a group of a hundred people and get one hundred different depictions of God. While some will be variations of the same, others will be absolutely contradictory of what the Word of God says Christ is. Matter of fact some will say there is no Christ at all!

But who do YOU say He is? Who do YOU as a Christian say Christ is? I am talking today to the self-professed Christian. And I say “self professed” because after the end of this article I want you to really ask yourself, are you truly who you say you are?

1.) Mc Jesus : If you believe in the Mc Jesus Theory this means that you view Jesus like a Happy Meal. You roll up to God like a drive thru and tell him what you want. You tell him you want that man or woman of God but hold the purity. You want that job and salary but hold the greed. You want to feel righteous on Sunday but hold Monday through Saturday, oh and especially Saturday night! This view of Jesus is a view that you customize. It is far from the truth but you create a Jesus that accommodates what you want not who He really is! You just drive through and grab a fast and cheap Gospel-your way, right away.

2.) Super Jesus: If you believe in Super Jesus, he blends in with the crowd until you need him. He is a Clarke Kent-undercover when you don’t need him but ready any time any place whenever you call on him.

You save him for when you have an emergency. When you’re a dollar short, a day late or out of options, you call on SUPER JESUS! In comes Jesus with a huge cape and a “J” on his chest and sweeps you off your feet. While it was grace that got you through that situation, you view it as a Jesus you only need to call on when you have an emergency.

3.) Sugar Daddy Jesus: If you believe in Sugar Daddy Jesus, you are the Christian that goes to church to pray hard for that new car, a celebrity salary or those new pair of shoes. While Jesus has given you more than you need, grateful is a word not found in your vocabulary. You always need more and better. You view Jesus as a cheap way to get what you want. You pray when you need something, not an emergency but just a new laptop. To you, Jesus is your sugar daddy, his wallet open for the taking and the possibilities endless. This Jesus will be your #1 until he stops giving. The minute something doesn’t come your way, you will be on your way to find another Sugar Daddy to satisfy your material needs.

Oh we can go on and on and on listing the different kind of Jesus’s” people make Him into. Reality is that Christ is solely none of these yet some of them. While Jesus isn’t your fast food meal to give you a temporary “full,” instead He is a gourmet meal that will take a time to cook yet be satisfying beyond belief. Except you cant time him like a drive thru and you cant decide how you want your meal-He will give you what he KNOWS you need and it will take as long as it needs to take to make sure its perfect.

Jesus is always super and sometimes rescues you out of your emergency, but doesn’t show up on your terms, matter fact sometimes it doesn’t even appear as if he shows up at all!! While Jesus is always by our side, sometimes he doesn’t rescue you, but provides you with exactly what you need to get through the situation. Sometimes instead of sweeping you up into the skyline, He stands in the dark n by your side giving you the strength to get through. This is much more affording and way longer lasting than just a quick rescue.

And Sugar Daddy Jesus. While the Word says Jesus will provide us with the desires of our heart, God will do that on his own in His own timing because “no one likes a spoiled kid!” God knows what we need when we need it and is a good Father so he also gives us what we want at a time when he can give it to us and know we wont love the gift more than the giver.

These attributes all combine along with many more to make the Jesus we see in the Word of God. We see a loving, merciful, just (full of justice), gracious, thoughtful and paternal Jesus. As you begin walking with Christ you will begin to see more attributes that make Him who He is. This view will be balanced and sometimes you are going to see a picture of God that doesn’t line up with what you want to hear, but that’s the beauty of true Christianity. We learn more about Christ and are refined and refined to be more like him. Refined because he isn’t like us and his ways are so far from our ways. So as you reconsider who you are-think about this. Is the “Jesus” in my life the real thing or is he someone I created to accommodate my mood? Make sure you are following the one true God and reading the Bible to get a true to life picture of who Christ really is, so that you can answer correctly like Simon,

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 13:16

A couple of weeks ago at a family gathering, I noticed something interesting. As I sat down and watched 3 generations of family members interact, I was taken back by a trend I noticed. While everyone interacted I realized that there before me were three generations of family members, one of which was someone who had long turned her back on the Lord.

The great grandmother of the group was a former Pentecostal Christian. She was raised to know the Lord and was taught in the ways of God. When she hit her 20’s she decided to leave the ways of God and “do her own thing.” Well, as time went on, her heart grew cold and she drifter so far from the Lord that she no longer called herself a Christian.

Almost 50 years later, she’d been a long time alcoholic and had now led the way for 3 generations of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren; none of which know the Lord. Her 30 years of alcoholism caused her to abuse her children and in turn some of her children went on to abuse their own. What went from a simple decisions that drew her heart away from God, 50 years later had greatly impacted 3 generations negatively.

I have seen Christians time and time again “take a break from Jesus.” I myself have fallen into this category inadvertently. Sometimes this is a decision someone makes because of a bad “church experience” or this can be something that happens over time. The problem with this is that we generally view our relationship with God as a personal one that is ours and no one else’s. While accepting Christ is a personal decision, it is one that will affect you and everyone around you. It will affect your family, your co-workers, your spouse and your future seed (generations).

Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

The Bible shows us time and time again that despite from where you’ve come from, what your past looks like or what “seed” you sprouted from, the second you decide to follow Christ, the bondage of sin is broken.

This verse gave me great joy because while I sat in a room with my family members and was grieved by what the Lord revealed to me, it also gave me joy because I know that Jesus broke that generational curse with me! My seed will not continue on that pattern because the Lord loved me so much that He gave His life for me. This verse not only gave me great joy for my future and that of my children but it gave me hope for my family members who don't know him and the urgency to pray for them. It gave me hope that the rest of my family will one day each make choices to break the generational curses so that 50 years from now our great grandchildren can see a new trend.

I pray the they will then see 3 generations of God fearing people with a generational curse long gone. 

Know today that breaking a generational curse starts today with you. The choices you make not only affect you but will affect those around you and those still yet to come! Choose God and maintain your relationship with Him so that you and your future generations may be Blessed!

You’re standing on the shore, admiring the ocean. There is just enough sand to cover your toes and you are refreshed by the cold ocean water that swooshes around your ankles every couple of seconds. Before you know it, the water is now up to your calves and in another 5 minutes you become knee deep in ocean water! 

You have gone knee deep in water when you started out just wiggling your toes in the sand. 

I can recall this happening to me at the Jersey shore. Since I can’t swim, there have been times that I can recall being pulled into the ocean quicker than I could blink my eyes. More than anything, I can always recall the fear that has swooped over me on these occasions. 

The same concept applies with sin. You wiggle your toes in it and before know it you are entangled in it unable to move. 

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

Galatians 5:1 NKJV 

The Bible warns us of not wiggling our toes in sin because the minute we reach out to touch sin, it will bite out toes off! With that said, the best way to keep you toes is by paying attention to the warnings of the Bible. I know that when I go to the shore, I am VERY much aware of being pulled in by the ocean waters because I am afraid of what would happen if I were pulled in too far. 

Although we cannot avoid being surrounded by sin and wont be able to until we meet Jesus, God was one step ahead of us when He wrote the Bible and gives us solutions to this dilemma. The Bible says that we are to be in the world and not of it. God clearly spoke to His people since the day of Jonah to the day of Jesus and instructed them to meditate on the Word. The Bible instructs its readers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. 

How does this help? Well the second I found myself knee deep in water, it renewed my mind to the dangers of the ocean. Although it is beautiful and I can be distracted by the allurement of it, my mind has been renewed and I am always thinking of the reality (of my fear) lurking behind the beauty. Now you may be a good swimmer and think this sounds corny, but for someone like me who can barely tread water, this is a danger and a fear. The same concept applied with sin. Once you allow God, through his Word, to renew your mind, you will begin to look at those things that appear beautiful and alluring to the world for their eternal face value. This renewment of your mind will help you keep your toes and help you not become entangled in sin. 

                                

So as the summer approaches, next time you’re at the shore, take a good look at the ocean. Look at its depth and its allurement but remember Titanic and Poseidon. In the same way the ocean can be alluring it is equally dangerous to those who become immersed in it. Allow your mind to be renewed so that you never find yourself in the middle of the ocean wondering how you got there.

Each year I receive a funny postcard in the mail from my ophthalmologist. Since my vision faithfully deteriorates every 8-9 months, I can tell when I am due for an exam because my vision becomes fuzzy.  

Now, I don't know about most of you, but if I don't have my glasses adjusted annually, I will begin to be a danger to society behind the wheel! Not only will I be dangerous driving but I will begin to feel tired and worn out from straining my eyes all day long. I desperately rely on an up-to-date pair of glasses yearly to help me get through the year. My ability to be a productive member of society is contingent upon something as small as a pair of glasses! 

Well the same is with our spiritual lives. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:28, Where there is no vision, the people perish.  NIV. 

How is your spiritual vision? Are you looking at your life and current situation through the lens of Jesus? Are you seeing HIS plan and purpose for your life or are you looking through an old pair of lenses?  

It is absolutely vital to your growth as a person and as a Christian to make sure you have your vision checked by Jesus. You may have the right prescription and frames for your needs, but you may need to have the frames tightened or the lenses cleaned. You may even need a goofy lanyard around your neck to keep them from falling off your face! 

Developing a personal, consistent dialogue with Jesus through prayer tightens up your frames while worshiping Him cleans the fingerprints the world has left on you off of the lenses, helping you see clearer. And if you are one to misplace your frames often, fellowship with other Christians will work as that lanyard to keep your glasses close to your eyes. 

Fingerprints and smudges will be inevitable as you travel along the windy roads we all encounter, but know that in order to get the right place at the end of this journey in life, your vision needs to be clear and crisp. If you aren't seeing as clearly as you think you should be or simply need a checkup, Jesus will do for you just as he did for Saul.

Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord”Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here”has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.

Acts 9:17b-18b NIV.

The author of this quote remains anonymous, yet this quote was not exclusively for the author, but is one that is necessary for all of our lives. 

January is reputably a month of resolutions. Gyms are full and diet programs are at capacity from January through February, but my March most forget about their diets and they gyms are running specials because they are empty. People have looked back and chosen to give up on their goals, reverting back to their old ways.  

Why do we do this? Why do some of us chose to live within cyclical patterns of choices that are nothing but detrimental to us physically, mentally, socially and more importantly spiritually? Like a dog chasing after his own tail, we stop to take a breath around January and by February we are back to chasing our tails again, a never-ending cause.  

These patterns are personally ascribed to you. They are the things you struggle with daily, monthly and sometimes yearly. They are wrongful choices, harboring bitterness, living in past hurts, etc…. You fill in the blank! 

This hit home to me last Sunday when my pastor said, “You will never move forward in Gods plan for you until you can stop looking behind.” This hit me between the eyes because I had allowed past hurts to become an obstacle preventing me from running ahead in Gods plan for an area of my life. I was so afraid of being hurt again that I found solace in looking back at my past experiences to be my excuse for not running full speed ahead into Gods plan for my life. I realized at that moment that if I want to be the woman God has called me to, I have to walk ahead into the Sunlight, trusting that God will be the light unto my path.

The irony in this all is that after church I remembered that my yearbook quote in high school was:

“Our eyes are placed in front because it is more important to look ahead than to look behind".” I needed to take my own advice!  

I want to challenge you today, to come to Jesus and tell him all of your hurts, fears, worries for 2007. You can even tell him what you went through in 2006; why not tell him what your life’s been like? He knows every detail, but speaking to Him almost brings that relationship to life. Tell him why you’re scared to move forward and tell him what obstacle stands between you and His plan. Jesus said to “cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.” So, once you’ve left them at His feet, walk ahead into the plans and promises He has for you so that 2007 wont be another year of regret or “what if’s….” but a year of promise, joy and a landmark year in your life of the beginning of a new you.  

God Bless You.

Philippians 3:13b-14

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

So in preparing for a wedding, so comes house hunting! I never knew how many things I would need to be bought in order to furnish a small 1 bedroom apartment! But as the time draws near to actually move in, I continually think of new things that will be needed to fill my new apartment.  

Psalm 26:8
I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.

In preparing to not only move into a new place, but going through premarital counseling and preparing to be wed, I have learned more things than I ever expected to. Yet one main thing I have learned is regardless of what kind of bed I sleep in at night, what kind of drapes adorn my windows or how large my television is, my home should be built on the Word of the Lord. Of course its so much fun to match colors of paint and drapes and get ready to move into your own place, I've learned inevitably, my house, my family, my soul needs to be rooted in Christ for if it isn't, nothing else will matter.

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

This verse reminds me of the three little pigs. The big bad wolf huffed and puffed but the only house he couldn't blow down was the one made of bricks. The one house that took the longest time and resources to create. While others appeared to both be dwelling places, there was only one place that was adequate enough to weather a storm. The same with us, Christ is the rock on which our dwellings need to be built. He is the concrete that forms our foundation and His Holy Spirit is the cement that upholds the bricks that form our walls.

So my prayer for you all as you prepare to embark on a new year is that you will take a good look at what your foundation is built on. Is your life rooted in the assurance and stability of God and His word? I can almost guarantee that whatever your own heart is built on is the same substance your home has been built on. So remember that unless the foundation of your home, your relationships and your dreams are built on the foundation of Christ, they are laid in vain.

Its a new year, time for demolishing and time for rebuilding!

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!