Category: Monthly Blog

The Celebration of Jesus

We know Jesus wasn’t born during the winter since shepherds aren’t out in the fields in December, but we do know He was born. He’s mentioned not only in the Bible but also in a number of other historical texts. It’s possible that Jesus was born in the summer or early fall. Because Judea is chilly and rainy in December, shepherds are likely to have sought cover for their flocks at night. Another reason Jesus was not born in the winter is that censuses were not done then, the weather was often below freezing, and the roads were in terrible shape. Taking a census in such circumstances would have been dangerous and difficult to travel.

Where did this December 25th come from?

Well, it’s a pre-Christian pagan religion; the Winter Solstice was observed on December 25. Sol is a Latin word that means “sun. stice is a word that implies ‘to be still.’ The sun-worshippers commemorated the shortest day of the solar calendar, which fell in the middle of winter. This day was commemorated in many ways by people all across the world.

Saturnalia, the most important celebration for pre-Christian Romans, fell on December 25. In honor of the Syrian sun-god Apollo, it was called ‘Sol Invicti,’ which means ‘the unconquerable sun.’ I could go on and on about what the Ancient Egyptians believed, but I’d want to concentrate on Jesus and His birth.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a son is born, and the government shall be upon him shoulder; and his name shall be Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The word said”Unto Us,” said the word. Why? Because God cares about us. John 3:16 God so loved the world, he gave his only born Son, that whomever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. That’s the definition of true love. This is true love: God loved us so much that He gave His Son, and His Son gave His life for us.

Have you heard this quote around December? Jesus is the reason for the season. Every day, I believe, is an occasion to rejoice in Jesus. Jesus came so that we can have life, and abundant life (John 10:10). People are out shopping for gifts, yet the best gift ever given was Jesus. We won’t be able to match His generosity, but we can provide Him with what he seeks, which is our lives. Luke19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. So when we celebrate Jesus every day, give Jesus what he’s looking for, which is ourselves. Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Being Overtaken By Blessings:

Many of us desires the blessings of God to overtake us. We want all that God has for us, don’t we? All the blessings and promises of God. But are we willing to do all that God tells us to do. In Deut 28:2 it says And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. How many of you know that God has unconditional promises and conditional promises. I know we was blessed when we woke up this morning but how many of you know that He has special blessings for us throughout the day and even throughout the entire year. I want all of my blessings, how about you?  Are we willing to follow God’s word and be obedient. Is. 1:19 says  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:  I would like good things to fall to me, how about you? We are all free moral agents, we can do what we want to do, but for me I’ll say it like Joshua did in Joshua 24:15 but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (My mother lives with me). And we desires all the blessing of God to overtake us. How about you?

If the birds in the air receives God’s strength to soar in the sky, then surely He will provide strength for us. The bible lets us know that we are better than the bird.  (Matt 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?).

Our God has endless supply of power and strength. for us all. Isaiah 40:28 says Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Regardless on how things may look in your life, wait on the Lord. I know we don’t like waiting but that’s is where our strength come from. Is 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Happy Resurrection Day 

Everybody will be celebrating Easter tomorrow but I’m going to be celebrating Resurrection Day. John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection.
Matt 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols (or did you actually think eggs and bunnies had anything to do with the resurrection?) After Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus. (the Bible already said it and  I don’t need a man to change a paganism god to what Jesus did for us) But at its roots, Easter (which is how you pronounce Ishtar) is all about celebrating fertility and sex.

I Say Happy Resurrection Day! Thank You Jesus

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

God Got A Plan, Just Go Through The Process.

God don’t tell us the process but He does tell us the end results. There is a blessing in store for you. A Promises Land full of Milk and Honey, but you have to go through to get to that bless place. Do you remember Matt 14:22-32 when Jesus tells the disciples to get into the ship and go to the other side. Jesus is omniscient all-knowing, He knew that there was going to be a storm when the disciples got into the ship, but they had to go through the process. The process tells us where we are in the Lord. Faithful or fearful.  And God knows when you going through your storm too. But He expect us to keep the faith and keep moving regardless of the circumstances. 2 Cor 5:7 says For we walk by faith, not by sight. He doesn’t show us the big picture, He just shows us snippets . Ps 119:105 says Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. The word is a lamp not a spotlight. In order for you to know what’s ahead you must trust the Lord and keep walking by faith, regardless of the storm and you will have that expected end God is talking about. 

If the birds in the air receives God’s strength to soar in the sky, then surely He will provide strength for us. The bible lets us know that we are better than the bird.  (Matt 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?).

Our God has endless supply of power and strength for us all. Isaiah 40:28 says Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.

Regardless on how things may look in your life, wait on the Lord. I know we don’t like to wait but that’s where our strength come from. Is 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. So what ever you might be going through You Can Soar In the Strength Of The Lord. Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

Ps 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

When we number our days as Psalms 90:12 God opens our spiritual eyes that we may see from His perspective and not ours. 

When we number our days it means that we ask God to anoint and appoint our day. We claim the day as a gift from God. When I open my eyes in the morning I have to claim my day and quote Ps 118:24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Everything God makes is good and before the day even starts I rejoice, knowing that my day will be good to and if any unfortunate thing happens I will still rejoice knowing God will bring me through. Numbering our days means being mindful of how we commit our time. And not to waste it doing fruitless things that don’t amount to nothing. Sometimes we have to say no to situations and people.  We commit our time to the Lord and serve Him, asking Him to use us for His Glory. Ps 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. What every you might go through commit your ways to Him and trust that He will see you though and He will. Number Your Day.

Key Scripture: Psalm 90:12

Focus on the power of the Lord, not on the size of your problem. Do your remember God’s people winning the battle of Jericho with a praise. The walls of Jericho fell down flat with a SHOUT (Joshua 6). Archaeologists believe the wall was roughly 26 feet tall, and rather than focusing on the height and thickness, they marched in obedience, knowing God would be faithful to give them victory.

We should trust in God’s plans even when it doesn’t make sense. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, that didn’t make sense and when Jesus told Peter to go to the sea and the first fish you see reach in it’s mouth and there will be a coin to pay our taxes. Victory comes in obedience even when the instructions doesn’t make sense.

Follow God’s instructions every step of the way,  obedience is where the blessing of God comes from.  Prov 3:5  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God is preparing you for great things and we all are a work in progress. But we have to go through the process to get to our God given dreams. God puts the dreams in our hearts and writes a destiny over our lives. And if we trust Him and have faith in His word  we will find ourselves on a journey toward the fulfillment of our dreams.

But know for sure through the journey there will be storms.  Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. The path that takes us to our promise land always, yes, always comes with thickets and thorns. Nothing worth having ever comes without opposition. God allows the path to be difficult because He intends on refining us and preparing us for our blessed place. Mal 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. And 1 Pet 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. His intention is to purify us, so that He can get the Glory out of our lives and that we may reach our bless place, the Promises of God.  We are all a Work in Progress.