A Wonderful Prayer to Walk in the Love of God.

A wonderful devotion today from Kenneth Copeland  Ministries on walking in Love.  I hope that you will pray the annointed prayer in bold italics below.:

Aug 10 - A Living Example of Love
"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
(Romans 5:5)

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Don't ever worry about not having enough love inside you. The Word says God's love is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. God's love is in you. What you need to do is make a decision to let it flow.

Pray this prayer today.

"In Jesus' Name, I make a fresh and strong commitment today to live the life of love, to let the tenderness of God flow through me and heal the wounded hearts of those I meet.

"Father, teach me to love even when things go wrong. To be patient and kind when the children are underfoot. To overlook the spiteful words of an angry spouse. To rejoice when someone at the office gets the raise that I thought I needed. Teach me to talk in love, to lay gossip quietly aside and to take up words of grace instead.

"Lord, Your Word says that Your love is already inside me...that it has been shed abroad in my heart. So today, I resolve to remove every obstacle that would keep that love from flowing freely into the lives of others. I put resentments behind me, and I forgive all those who've done me wrong.

"In the days ahead, cause me to increase and excel and overflow with Your love. Cause me to be what this world needs most of all...a living example of love. Amen."

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Scripture Study:  1 John 4:7-17

I'm Fed Up!!!

Please indulge me as I rant for a few minutes. This is just me being honest, you should try it some time........

I'm fed up with mediocre Christianity.

I'mfed up with the devil lying to me.

I'm fed up with my circumstances thinking they will defeat me.

I'm fed up with my flesh telling me what I will and will not do.

I'm fed up with days that I don't seize the chance to witness.

I'm fed up with watered down Gospel messages.

I'm fed up with division in the Body of Christ.

I'm fed up with lack.

I'm fed up with sickness and disease attacking people I know and love.

I'm fed up with not doing enough for the Kingdom of God.

I'm fed up with irresponsible Gospel teaching that tells people there is nothing required of them.

I'm fed up with wasting my time on worthless things.

I'm fed up with not seeing signs and wonders following me.

I'm fed up with my past always trying to tell me my future won't be great.

I'm fed up with the enemy attacking my family.

I'm fed up with hatred.

I'm fed up with strife.

I'm fed up with doubt.

I'm fed up with fear.


I'M FED UP WITH BEING FED UP AND I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will God Have To Use Somebody Else?

Romans 10:18-21

18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”

 19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”

20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

21 But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people.” 

In the verses above the Apostle Paul is talking about the nation of Israel's rejection of the Gospel and their denial of the message of Jesus Christ being the Messiah.  We are all pretty familiar with this, Christ came and they refused him for the most part and then salvation was offered to the Gentiles and salvation has now been made available to all the world.

But what we need to realize is that through the spirit of adoption and by the Blood of Jesus Christ, we who are saved are now the Seed of Abraham also and therefore we are Jews or the Nation of Israel too.  We are God's chosen people as much as anyone else.

That being said we need to beware that God will not have to say the same thing about us that he said in the verses above about Israel.  We need to examine our devotion and our dedication to God and to Jesus to make sure that we are not the disobedient nation, and that God does not have to find others to replace us but instead to add to us.

It's time for us to all rededicate ourselves to our Love and devotion to God, we are his chosen people and we don't want him to have to choose another because we won't serve him.

Let's Do Better

We had a guest speaker at church today who shared a simple yet powerful message that I wanted to share with you all.

The message was basically that God is going to do better for us but we also need to do better for God.

He gave 5 points on what we need to do better, and these I felt were really on point:

1. Church Attendance

     -Don't just come to church but come on time.  We often feel it's not a big deal to miss Praise and Worship as long as we make it for the Sermon, but the truth is that Praise and Worship is what we do for God and the sermon is God giving back to us.  When we miss Worship what we are basically saying is that we want what God has but we don't want to give him the Worship and Praise he deserves.

2. In our prayer life

     -pray other than when other than when you need something

     -pray everyday.

     -walk throughout your day in a position to talk to and hear from God at any given time.

3. In Giving

     -every year have a goal to give more than you did last year.

4. Inviting people to church.

     -The Bible says "compel men to come"

     -Pray, fast, and keep asking them to come if they refuse

5. In serving.

     -everybody should be working at the church

     -don't be a taker only be a giver.

Grandmothers....

I haven't written anythingnin quite a few days, so let me start by apologizing for that. But back to the issues at hand....

I recently the lost the last of my grandparents, to be specific my paternal grandmother. She was a great woman who loved with all her heart and protected with all she had. My grandmother was truly a blessing, I spoke at the funeral and one of the key things I pointed out was that she loved like God. She loved me and all of us, when we were at our worst like we were at our best. She gave and gave without pause, and did anything she could to help. Now don't get me wrong, she wasn't perfect but there was so much good there that it sometimes overshadowed the bad. I love her and she will be missed.

Now here we are today and I look at my children and the fact that they still have all their grandparents in their lives, and I see how the children love and react to their grands and how the grands love and react to them and I get to see how it was for us from a different perspective. And now I see, grandparents love the grandchildren more than they loved us and I think the kids love their grands more than they love us LOL.. But grandmothers especially.

Seriously though, there is an anointing and a freedom on grandmothers that allows them to love past all the issues their grandchildren have and pour out into them like no other. Let's face it, us parents have to deal with the actual raising of the children so we wear all those hats, but grandma is apparently called to just show them love, pure and unadulturated.

So this is a shout out to my wonderful grandmothers that have gone on to be with the Lord and to my children's grandmothers who are still here, thanks for loving the way you do it is priceless.

Daddy's Home!!!!!!!

There are a few phrases I hear on a daily basis, but not too many come close to making feel as good as "Daddy's Home!!!!"

If you are not a father, or you are a father but you have decided to not take the necessary responsibility of being involved in your children's lives, then you cannot quite understand the joy that is felt in being greeted at the door by children that have been eagerly awaiting your return home from work. It is an honor to be a parent, and I feel it is a special honor to be a father, after all God is a father.

In our home I play multiple roles; husband, provider(God of course provides, but uses me as a vehicle), disciplinarian, encourager, sometimes cook and cleaner. But besides husband, nothing compares to being DAD. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love my children and have made many sacrifices for them, but there is no price I have paid that compares to how they make me feel when they show that is spite of many things they still love me and are eager to see me.  In spite of the spankings and groundings, in spite of the chastisement and lecturing, in spite of my hectic work schedule and often limited time they are still always eager to see me when I return.

This makes me think of my Father God.  I bet he feels this way about me and you too.  I bet he loves when we are eager to be in his presence again, and when in spite of all the issues we face in life we still Love and trust him.

Now that i think about it, the only thing better than being a husband and a father is being fathered by God...

What to do when God says go forward but You need to know more.

So I am at a really pivotal time in my life right now, a time of change and transition. And as is the nature of us human beings, this can be a very uneasy time, where when we need to see things so clearly theybare often not that at all.

But nevertheless, God continues to tell me and you to GO FORWARD! I was read ing in Exodus 14 today as the children of Israel were fleeing Egypt and they approached the Red Sea ahead of them and Pharoah and his goons behind then and they started to despair again. They, much like us, were faced with the perceived uncertainty of what lied ahead, and the perceived comfortability or security of what was behind them. In the midst of this all, their leader Moses went to God to pray and God says, why are you crying to me, get up and go forward (Exodus 14:15 my paraphrase). But he doesn't tell them how they will get through what's ahead of them until after he tells them to get moving. I believe the next verse, when God instructs Moses to lift up his rod and part the Red Sea (Exodus 14:16) wasn't spoken until after they started moving again.

I am learning more and more that this is one of the ways God works, he gives us an instruction and once we start to follow it, he opens up doors to make it possible. I know to us this is a little unsettling and for this of us who tend to be more practical this can seem crazy, but it's proven in scripture over and over again. I would tell you where, but you might need to study a little on your own to show yourself approved, LOL.

But seriously, the next time God asks you to move forward on a command or promise without giving you the whole plan, and you require the full layout first, remember, that may be your way but not his and it may make no sense to you, but all the sense in the world to Him. When we face these times it's important to remember what the Holy Spirit said through Isaiah in
55:8-9 his ways and thoughts are different from ours, but not only are they different they are "higher" or BETTER. Take his way, it always works better than your own.

Get Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joshua 7:10
10 So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 

Have you ever had one of these moments with God? I have, as a matter of fact I just had one that motivated me to write this.

So for context purposes, Joshua and the children of Israel had just taken the city of Jericho and in the midst of the victory Achan had defied the Lord's command and kept some of the spoils for himself.  After Jericho was won Joshua set out to defeat Ai, which should have been an easy feat according to the spies he sent out, but unbeknownst to him they were in trouble due to Achan's disobedience. Let me pause right here and say, be careful because the disobedience of others close to you can cause you trouble too. Back to the story, they went out against Ai and they got whooped(Reuel's paraphrase).


In response to the loss Joshua came before the Lord in what he thought was a prayer and began to sob and complain and ask questions like:
"Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?" (Joshua 7:7)


And he made silly statements like:
"Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!"(Joshua 7:7)

Then he began doubting God as if it was his fault they lost saying:
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” (Joshua7:9)

And all this he did while laying on his face as if he were in prayer and worship before God.  Well God definitely didn't see it that way as we can tell by his response. If God spoke like us, which i am glad he doesnt, he would have said something like, "Joshua shut up all that crying and moaning and get up". He wenton to tell Joshua what their problem was and how to solve it.

Im not coming down on Joshua, because God knows we have all had our moments of complaining to God and calling it prayer, as I said I just had one. But right in the middle of it I could hear the Holy Spirit say get up, repent and begin to decree and declare victory over this attack of the enemy.


We have to remember that when there is a setback in  our lives or the enemy attacks and we react in the wrong way, its not the time to whimper and cry, but the time to stand up and "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" not in the weakness of our strength.

A Word On Courage

Courage, a word often used but seldom lived. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines courage as:
 
"Bravery; intrepidity; that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution. It is a constituent part of fortitude; but fortitude implies patience to bear continued suffering."

In the 1st chapter of the book of Joshua God tells Joshua to be strong and of good Courage 4 different times (Joshua1:6, 7, 9, 18) , and two of those times he uses the phrase, only be strong and have courage (Joshua 1:7, 18). 

We all have purposes in life and though to you, yours may not seem as important as Joshua's, to God no one of us or our purpose is anymore important than the other. But one thing remains true, whatever God has called you to do, he has put within you the gift and ability to do it, but you must have Faith in God and the COURAGE to step out on that Faith and do it.

Are We Christians Limiting Ourselves?!?!

I was at Bible study last night and the speaker made a comment that has been ringing in my ears ever since.  He was speaking on making the impossible possible in our lives, just the type of message I love to hear. While in the middle of building our faith he challenged us to not be like most Christians that;

Think too small...

Aim too low...

and Quit too soon...

The statement was hard to swallow as I began to ponder the way I think.  I began to wonder if I was one of those people. Then I decided instead of pondering if I was I would purpose to never be again.

You see, most of us who believe in God and trust in the name of Jesus fail to realize the limitless ability that we possess.  We have the creator of the universe, the almighty God living on the inside of us, and there is nothing too hard for our father God. We profess to know that Jesus died for us to bring us into right relationship with God, but we often stop right there. We often fail to associate the benefits of the death of Christ and the blood that he shed for us, with our ability to succeed right here on earth, and skip straight to heaven. Without a doubt Christ died for our salvation and that will get us into heaven,  but the truth is Christ died for us to have an abundant life here and there (John 10:10).

We have to begin to renew our minds and think big, we have a big God and a larger than life helper called the Holy Spirit.

We have to begin to aim higher, if we are truly Heaven bound then we should be aiming to accomplish things on the way to heaven which is on high not down low.

And we have to begin to stay in Faith and persevere until we see the promises of God come to pass in our lives.  We are Christians, people of Faith, we are not quitters.  When life throws us a curve ball we use our faith and hit that thing out of the park.  We don't quit, we don't get weary in our well doing and give up because we have Faith that in the end we will win (Gal 6:9, 2Cor 2:14)

So to my main point, we as Christians are the ones limiting ourselves. Stop blaming the devil, he doesn't have the power to stop you, all he can do is deceive you. Definitely don't blame God, he already said he gave you all things that you need for life and godliness (2Pet 1:3) along with the countless other promises he has given us that enable us to live wonderful lives. It is us, we are limiting ourselves through our ignorance, laziness, selfishness, and other ways God has given us the ability to overcome.

We need to snap out of it and pursue all that Christ gave his life for us to enjoy.

An Ode to My Wife on Her Birthday...

I don't know why I would title this blog Ode, when I don't posses a hint of poetic ability, but it sounded cool so I went with it.

Anyway, today is a monumental day in my life's history, it is the birthday of the wonderful, beautiful woman that God has blessed me with, Crystal Bianca Williams.


I tried to find a poem on line that summed up my feelings and I couldn't, i tried o find a verse of scripture to do so and I couldn't find one small enough to not make this post unbearably long, so I decided to just write what I felt.  So here we go;

Crystal,
You are a blessing from God in my life, he has truly shown me favor by blessing me with you. I know I have not perfected showing my appreciation for you, but yet you are still here loving me nonetheless. I know we were meant to be because of how God is using each of us to make the other better, and because I don't think there is anyone better suited to put up with someone like me. By the grace of God I am going to give you all that he desires you to have, and more than you could ever want. My love for you is unspeakable and I am grateful to God for this day and the many more we will share together. You have been a friend, a mother, a coach, a supporter, and of course a lover beyond what I deserve or have earned and I am grateful to you for that.

Love,
Your Husband

PS
I was going to throw some Song of Solomon scriptures in here, but they weren't G rated enough...LOL

Moving Forward: My Fitness/Workout Dilema, I think I've figured it out....

Okay so I need to lose some weight, and if you know me personally this is no surprise to you, you might have even said it to me at one point or another. I am by no means obese, but I am overweight and that is neither healthy or a good witness to the abundant life Christ died for me to have.

That being said, I was doing a good job for a while. I was eating less and working out more, and I lost about 15lbs, then I plateaued and now I have gained a few back. I know a part of the issue is my eating habits, sometimes I eat too late and most times I eat too much.  I love food. I love to cook.  These are two facts I have had to face, but they do not make my weight loss impossible, because I have learned that with Christ I can do all things including eat better.

My main problem has been working out.  I go to the gym for a while and then I stop, and then I start again, and then I start again.  I have yet to really get a good consistent routine going. But I realize why now. Whenever I am on that darn treadmill, all i can think about is getting off.  From the moment I program the workout and take that first mechanical step all I want to do is be gone.  Why you may ask? Well if you know me well you know its not because I am lazy and desire inactivity, I am a go go person.  I am always moving, and my energy level is crazy high. The treadmill problem is that I am a forward motivated person and their is no real forward movement on a treadmill. I cant stand walking and going nowhere, looking at the same things in front of me for 30 minutes to an hour while simulating movement.  It is unbearable to me.

So yesterday for the first time in a long time i did my exercise walking outdoors, and it was great!!! I was able to set a goal for where I wanted to walk to,and I couldn't quit because once i got there I had no choice but to walk back.  It was such a refreshing experience to me, and a great workout at the same time. I told my wife yesterday that I would no longer be attempting the gym workouts, as long as weather permits I will be outdoors making forward progress in my fitness effort.

God is so good, and his timing is so perfect. Yesterday at church a prophetic word came forth that said "God is flashing the green light in front of us to say go forward." That simple word has infected and effected me in so many ways already.

• I am going forward in the things of God.
• I am going forward in my pursuit of God's next level in my life and for my family.
• I am going forward in my pursuit for fitness.

Christians and Tattoos.....

I have always been pretty set in my thoughts on Christians and tattoos.  I thought NO WAY!!! I myself have a few tats but they were done before I had a relationship with Christ or pre-salvation. 

Well I watched this video today by Pastor Craig Groeschel, of http://www.lifechurch.tv/ and it has me thinking about my stance. 

I am not saying that I am thinking of running out and getting a tattoo, I am just prayerfully reconsidering how I might counsel others when I am asked in the future.

Take a look at this video and let me know what you think....

Michele Bachman, Can Christians really win National Elections???

Let me start by saying, I am in no way stating that it is impossible for us as true Christians to win national elections, because nothing is impossible with God. What I am asking is if we can truly stand by our Christian values and walk upright while winning a national election in this dispensation of time?

The word of God makes several things clear to us, but as for the issue at hand it makes these two clear points;
 1) How we should live. Eph 4:22-5:4
2) The world will most likely hate us. John 15:18-25

I was prompted to ask these questions and write this blog as a result of the headlines about Michelle Bachman's clinic and their claims to be able to help homosexuals no longer be homosexuals.  I read headlines like "Pray away the Gay" and "Michelle Bachman's Gay Cure" and the scenic-ism and ridicule in the headlines alone was so obvious I almost needed not read the articles themselves to know that they would make claims that anyone trying to bring deliverance to a person dealing with homosexuality was wrong, dangerous, or nutty. The only thing that was more disturbing than their ridicule was the lines that said Mrs. Bachman would not comment on the claims made by the media and the undercover activists that taped the interviews in her clinic.

The fact of the matter is, that we as Christians and true Disciples of Jesus Christ believe that deliverance from the sin proclivity of homosexuality is just as possible and necessary as deliverance from lying, stealing, hating, and all other kinds of sins we all have dealt with at one point or another.  But if your goal to win the popular vote is going to stop you from saying that, then is that the vote you want to win?

Christ was clear, the world hated him and they will hate us too, because we are NOT OF THE WORLD.  We are to be voices crying aloud and sparing not.  We are to be preaching repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Will this make us popular with the world? NO. John the Baptist wasn't popular, he was beheaded by Government officials, Jesus was killed, Peter was crucified like Christ.  All these were results of them taking a righteous stand for Christ. What makes us think we can take that kind of stand and be elected to office.

Ask yourself, in today's world and the current political climate can a Christian do the following and win a local election, let alone a national one:

1. "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers." Eph 4:29
2. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." Eph 4:30
3. "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Eph 4:31....What if another Christian is your opponent?
4. "neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." Eph 5:4
5. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Phil 2:3-4
6. "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil." Luke 6:35  There is no Love for an enemy in an election only the desire to triumph over him.
7. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10  "Vote for me, vote for me, i'm the best and he's the worst" Does that sound humble to you?
8. “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israelt of their sins! Isaiah 58:1 NLT  The world, especially America,  does not want to hear that they have Sin. Will they elect you when  you cry out against their abortion, homosexuality, political corruption, unfair business practices.

When I look at just these few commands from the Word of God, i start to wonder less if we can win a national election and more why would we want to compromise to even try. We have been called to change the world not by invading its government, but by bring Heaven to invade Earth through our Faith, Prayer and Righteous works.  We need to realize our mandate to live for Christ and try to win as many souls as possible not to win as many popularity contests as possible

Daily Devoltional on Love from Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

I read this devotional this morning and was so impacted by the revelation of the small things we allow to eat away at us that I though i would share it with you all.  Please learn and enjoy. #RenewedMind

Jun 20 - A Healthy Dose of Love
"Love...is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it--pays no attention to a suffered wrong."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

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Dear Reuel,

Walking in love is good for your health. Did you know that?

It's true! Medical science has proven it. Researchers have discovered that hostility produces stress that causes ulcers, tension headaches, and a host of other ills.

Now when you think of hostility, you may think of the type of anger you feel when something serious happens. But according to the experts, that kind of thing isn't what causes the worst problems. It's the little things: when the dry cleaners ruin your favorite outfit, for example. Or when the cafeteria lady puts gravy on your mashed potatoes after you've specifically told her not to. Sound familiar?

Just think how much stress you could avoid by being quick to forgive, by living your life according to 1 Corinthians 13 and not counting up the evils done to you. Imagine physical and emotional benefits of living like that!

If you've allowed yourself to be habitually bound by hostility, that may sound like an impossible dream, but it's not! Because as a born-again believer, you have the love of God inside of you.

If you'll yield to that love, it will set you free. Remember when Jesus called Lazarus forth from the grave? He was alive but still bound in the grave clothes. Jesus commanded the bindings to be loosed so that Lazarus could be free to walk.

Jesus wants that same kind of freedom for you. So get into agreement with Him. Say to those deadly habits that have you bound, "In the Name of Jesus, loose me and let me go! I'm putting hostility, unforgiveness and selfishness behind me. I'm going on with God. I'm going to live the life of love!"

Remember: It doesn't take a medical miracle to turn your life around. All it takes is a decision to yield to the force of love. Do it today!

---

Scripture Study:  Proverbs 4:10-27

Where is your obedience?

So before I get into it let me say this is a very personal and open blog post....Bare with me.

Lately things have been a little busy in my life, between work, and family, and of course the all important TV (LOL). I noticed over the last few months my time in the word and prayer and even church attendance was seriously slacking. If I am completely honest I was giving much more time to everything else except the things of God. I have still been praying and reading the word but with much less frequency and much less desire. I noticed that not only was I not spending the time but that I wasn't really pressed to do so. Now don't get me wrong, I Love the Lord and and I am still striving to live a life that is pleasing to him but I have not felt that same desire to spend time with him in the word and prayer.

So last night I said to God that I was going to do better in this area. So I woke up this morning and had devotion and prayed and felt that I was good to go. But then as I was driving to work and just talking to God and I said to him Father what is happening with my desire to spend time in your word and in prayer, I used to feel like I couldn't wait to be there and soak it all up and now I don't feel it. Then I said Father give me that desire back so I can get back into the swing of things.

As soon as I finished with this plea to God to give me back the desire or the hunger and thirst he replied as plain as day in my spirit and what he said shook me to the core. I said give me the desire back and He said; Where is your obedience? WOw!!!! Where is your obedience? What a convicting question to me. It didn't take a great revelation from heaven from or any further study for me to understand what He was saying to, and I guess it would go for all of us :

When all the feelings are gone and there is no desire there don't forget that Obedience to the Father is always the way to go.

Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you......Don't let it!!!

Sin is waiting to attack you...What a dreadful and potentially fearful statement.  Although I have read this passage of scripture about Cain and Abel's offering many times before, this morning the Holy Spirit revealed something new to me. Here we have Cain and he has made an offering to God that was not accepted by God and now he is, honestly speaking, PISSED OFF!!  God comes to Cain and says "Why are you so angry", then "You will be accepted if you do what is right"  Here we see that God is stunned at the fact that Cain is upset with Him for his judgment of what is right and wrong or acceptable and unacceptable.  How often do we get angry with or question God when the Holy Spirit convicts us of wrong? How often do we make excuses for Sin in our lives instead of repenting and lining up with the will of God for our lives?

We make these mistakes often, I know I have at least.  But what comes next is where God spoke to me this morning.  After God questions Cain about his wrong attitude he says to him "You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to Control you." What was God referring to here when he said if you do the right thing you will be accepted?  Was he referring to the offering itself or accepting responsibility for what Cain did wrong and having a right attitude before God?  I always assumed God was referring to the offering, but this morning I was impressed by the Spirit of God on a repentant attitude. God was saying to Cain, don't be angry with my judgment, submit to it and line up with me. And thats what we all need to do. When the Grace of God allows the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and wrong attitudes we should not reject this Grace and be stubborn but we should receive this Grace and be repentant.

God then warns Cain that Sin is waiting to jump on him and control him totally if he doesn't get it right. I have learned from teachers and from the Word of God that sin is an independent force from God and Satan. Sin is not a weapon of Satan, sin was in us after our Father Adam followed the leading of the enemy instead of God.  Now don't get me wrong, Satan uses our Sin nature against us, but sometimes our desires and lusts get us involved with Sin independent of the devil.  What God was saying here was that the force of Sin is waiting for you to not be repentant when you mess up because that is an open door for sin to manifest and multiply in your life. If you are not quick to repent then Sin will use that open door to come in and infest and infect your spirit. Then the enemy will use that to his advantage and start lying to you about your inability to get forgiveness from God as you continue to fall deeper into Sin.



But Glory be to God! He never leaves us without a solution to our potential problems, for then he says "But you mist subdue it (sin) and be it's master." If God says to Cain that he must subdue Sin and be it's master then Cain must have the ability to do so. And that ability lies in repentance.  If we are repentant when we sin then we have the ability to keep sin from multiplying in that area.  And Glory to God we have the blood of Jesus on our side now and Cain didn't even have that.

The Word of God says that if we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil that he will flee; I propose to you that if we submit ourselves to God and remain repentant where our sin is concerned then sin will have to submit to the fact that it has no power over us.  But like David said if we cover our sin or refuse to confess it and repent then that Lion Sin will pounce on us and our bodies will be waste or be eaten away.



I said all that to say this, the true power to realize and manifest your freedom from sin lies in two things:

1) Faith in the Word of God

2) Doing as David did in Pslams 32:5
       Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

        and stopped trying to hide my guilt.                                       I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the       Lord.”And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.