This tongue of mine seems to be the hardest thing to tame. Not for lack of trying though. I must admit that I’ve seen some improvement in the tongue-taming department but I realize there’s still some work to be done.
I’ve been wondering about words used via instant messaging (IM) and social media (SM). Is it that you blame the tongue for words sent these medium? Continue reading
Matthew 18:23-35
Did you know that you can bring torment upon yourself?
Examine the scripture above giving close consideration to the last verse. Christ said “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have said “I forgive” not realizing that the words were empty because I didn’t release the person in my heart. Christ doesn’t simply give the instruction for us to forgive our brothers, but he makes reference of where that forgiveness must come from: the heart.
I recently came to the realization of my shortcoming when I tried to rekindle a friendship that went sour, due to past disagreements. No matter how hard I tried and willed myself to rebuild my friendship I always managed to run into the proverbial brick wall that brought an overwhelming amount of hurt and resentment to the forefront of my emotions.
When I first started going to the church I currently attend, I was befriended by a young woman who could have well been my friend from childhood. We hit it off instantly! We both have fun, bubbly personalities, we have many similarities in different areas, we’re both in ministry together and our love for God is second to none. I was happy. Unfortunately as time went on we had some disagreements. Of course, being the good “Christians” that we were, we sat down, had a short talk about the issues and “forgave” each other, promising to work on re-establishing our friendship.
Looking back now, I realize what I did was portray an attitude of forgiveness through my words and actions but I never released my friend from my heart. I don’t have to tell you that our friendship didn’t survive much longer. Communication between us broke down, I stopped visiting her home, we never went anywhere together anymore and having to say hello at church became a task I dreaded. I remember looking at my friend and feeling miserable at times because I wanted our friendship to return to the way it was but I couldn’t fathom a way to change the situation between us.
Thankfully God was looking at the situation and saw our hearts. Through Godly counsel and guidance my friend and I decided to give the friendship another whirl and see how things would work out. During that time the revelation of the scripture above came to life for me and God began to show me what I was doing wrong.
Although I SAID to my friend “I forgive you”, I didn’t forget or let go of what she did to hurt me. In my heart I held on to everything that caused me pain and I would reference those things and use them as a red flag to stop me from getting close to her. In Verse 27 of the above scripture we see that the King forgave the servant his debt. This meant the servant would no longer have to pay what was owed. Not because the king “forgot” about the debt in a literal sense, but because he was no longer going to make reference to or remind the servant of what was borrowed and once owed.
Eureka! I needed to let go of my hurt to the point that I could stop making reference to it; in order to free my heart from the burden of it was carrying.
As you read through the scripture above that the servant whom the king pardoned brought torment upon his self when he refused to forgive someone who owed him a debt. Although the first servant was forgiven initially, his unwillingness to forgive his servant caused him to be released unto His tormenters until his former debt was completely repaid.
This is where you and I come in; in the final verse of Matthew 18 Christ said
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, FROM HIS HEART, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
That, my friend, is a sobering statement! If you and I don’t learn to forgive those who have wronged us from our hearts we will inflict torment upon ourselves.
God doesn’t require lip service from us; he looks at our hearts to know our true intentions. He knows that we are capable of “acting right” with impurity in our hearts and that is why He examines our hearts and not our actions.
For our own sakes I suggest that we take the time, ever so often and examine the condition of our hearts. Our next breakthrough could be dependent on how quickly we are willing to truly forgive that person or those persons who would have hurt or wronged us. With all the challenges we already face in our daily lives does it make sense adding more turmoil to the mix because of a disagreement or misunderstanding?
I think not.
Talk about a stressful week! Have you ever had one of those weeks where you had the world of things to complete; all very important, and you felt like you were getting no where with any of them? That was what I experienced last week. There were so many things taking place and so many things I needed to do and everyday I woke up I felt more drained than the day before with a lot less zeal to complete my tasks.
Soon enough frustration and stress were my pesty companions that I couldn’t get rid of. Those two buddied up to me like white on rice and I felt like there was no way to get away from them. Things were so bad that I went to church, assisted in worship, heard an uplifting message on knowing the enemy and the moment I got into my car I felt like throwing in the towel and calling it quits. I was simply exhausted!
I like to think of times like this as “show time” for God. Somehow in those times when I feel my worst He has a way of showing up and sorting things out without me orchestrating a thing. Of course I know that He’ll show up in times like this because He promised it in 2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
But somehow when things come crashing down I forget that verse and always reflect on it in hindsight.
So, imagine me sitting on the floor in my room, literally crying. I felt so lost and hopeless. I started wishing I could give everything back and retreat to a cave and hibernate for a while. In the midst of my depression I got a text from a friend asking if I was okay. Usually when people ask if I’m okay, whether I’m okay or not I simply answer yes, ( I know, that’s a bad habit I need to break), but yesterday I just couldn’t say yes. So I took a deep breath and admitted to someone other than God that I wasn’t fine.
Almost automatically my day took a turn for the better. My friend met me and we went out and had the most relaxing evening I’ve had in a long time. By the end of the night I was completely relaxed and I was able to talk to God without crying uncontrollably in His presence without words. I was able to tell Him exactly what was on my heart (not that he didn’t already know) and ask for His guidance.
God being the awesome God that He is and not being able to lie, held his end of the promise in Philippians 4:6 -7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
By the time I woke up this morning God spoke to me and told me exactly what I need to do in order to continue this part of the journey. I woke up with a peace and a new found zeal and vision to do what I have to. Stress and Frustration has moved out (Thank God!) and peace has now taken up residence in my heart.
I wish I could find the right words to adequately explain the joy I’m feeling now. I feel peace and freedom, I’m looking back at all the times God has seen me through and I’m assured that he will see me through this period in my life as well.
Maybe like me you’re overwhelmed with the cares of this world and you’re feeling a bit down and out. I want you to know that the same Jesus that came through for me and picked me up out of the dumps, can come through for you too. Present your cares to him through prayer and thanksgiving and He WILL give you the peace to continue your journey.
Do you remember Gideon? The young man who God chose to free the people of Israel from the hands of the Midianites? You can read Gideon’s story in Judges 6 but I’ll give you the paraphrased version so as to put my testimony into perspective.
God had allowed the people of Israel to be oppressed by the Midianites for seven years because of their disobedience to him. After the seven years he sent an angel to speak to a young man whom He ordained to deliver His people; Gideon. As we know God never does things according to man’s standards, so as expected Gideon was not a great leader or king or anything of the sort. He was the youngest of his father’s sons and he came from the weakest tribe in Israel. In fact, when the angel of the Lord came to deliver the message to Gideon that he would free the people of Israel, Gideon was HIDING in an old wine press threshing wheat. I think it’s safe to say here that by society’s standards Gideon was a coward. He didn’t see himself as anyone important and was really just trying to survive as long as he could, under the radar, until someone came along to free the people of Israel. Well, God thought otherwise. In verse 12 of chapter 6 the angel of God addressed him as “mighty warrior”. The angel did not address Gideon in reflection to the state he was in, but to the state God had ordained for him to become, teaching us that God doesn’t see us where we are now but where we are supposed to be or ordained to be by Him.
Now that I’ve given you the gist of Gideon’s story let me get back to my testimony.
This past weekend the church where I fellowship; Evangel Temple, hosted a 24 hour praise, prayer and worship event. We spent 24 hours; starting at 7:00 pm Friday 10th January and ending 7:00 pm Saturday 11th January, worshiping and praising God. The event was awesome and life changing. Spending 24 hours in God’s presence superseded anything that I’ve ever experienced in my life. There was music, song, dance and the ministering of the word. One could feel the presence of God in the sanctuary the entire time and so many persons were ministered to and received their breakthrough.
For me there was one point during the service where I felt weak and unsure of my purpose. I was asked to minister in sermon on Saturday morning. During the week before, I spent time fasting, praying and crying out to God in preparation for a move of His spirit through me on Saturday. When it was time for me to minister I let go and allowed God to do what he had to do through me. I spoke on the importance of worship and giving God our worship first, before asking Him for anything. When I finished preaching I made an altar call and began to lay hands on people and prophesy to them.
For the entire time during my ministry I never doubted the move of God and the direction he was taking the service in, but as soon as I left the altar and sat down a battle began in my mind that had me feeling weak, false and useless. Let me interject and say that I have not been to bible school or had any formal training on being a minister. I asked God to use me and this is the direction he chose and I depend solely on Him where my ministry is concerned. So imagine me, just finished preaching and laying hands on people and sitting down questioning my purpose and literally asking God to take back the gift he gave to me. Everyone around me is praising and rejoicing and I’m sitting on a bench feeling useless and empty.
Thankfully God is faithful and just. As I sat there a young woman came up to me and asked to pray for me. As she prayed she said the exact words God said to Gideon while he was in hiding “God I thank you that you have called this mighty warrior”. Could you imagine how I felt? Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I repented in my heart for doubting God’s promises to me. God used her prayer to confirm all the things He had spoken to me before. He used her prayer to reaffirm everything he needed me to remember in that moment. He showed up at my weakest point and reminded me that he has a purpose for my life and that he doesn’t see me where I am but where I’m supposed to be.
You might be thinking that the confirmation and affirmation I got through that prayer would have been enough to lift my spirits,but it wasn’t. Just like Gideon I needed proof that this was indeed God. So just as Gideon did, I asked God to confirm his words by my standards. I said to Him, “God if this is you send confirmation through my pastor. Let him pray and confirm what I feel”. God being God did as I asked. Less than fifteen minutes later my pastor asked one of the young men that I prayed for to come to the altar. He began to minister to the young man and said to him, “You received a word from Keela (me) today and I’m glad the way God moves because this is confirmation”. My jaw literally dropped! God you are just so amazing!
I stood up and began to praise God as I saw him work three ways in one situation. He gave the young man breakthrough in his situation, He confirmed what was in my pastor’s heart regarding the young man and he gave me confirmation that the words ministered through my mouth came from Him. Isn’t he amazing?
Maybe you’re like me. Maybe there are times you doubt your calling or purpose, sometimes you wonder if God has a place or plan for you because of your circumstances or life choices and you feel like you’ve struck out. Today I want to give you hope. God has not given up on you and despite how you feel he doesn’t see you in your current state. Rather he sees you in the place he has ordained for you. God has a plan for you and He’s called you according to His purpose. Ask of Him what you desire and watch as he answers your prayer and gives you that push in the direction of your calling.
God bless you, MIGHTY WARRIOR!
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Have you ever said the prayer above? “Search me O God……………..see if there is any wicked way in me?”
Recently I found myself praying this prayer; not in the exact words that David used in Psalm 139, but with the same message to God. The funny thing about me saying the prayer was while I was prepared for God to search me, I wasn’t prepared for what I’d see.
When God searches and finds things in you that are not of Him he has to show it to you in order to bring it to your attention and begin His work on removing it. Of course I didn’t understand that concept until I got a taste of it first hand. I’ll be very honest with you, when I said this prayer I thought God would just speak to me about the things that are deep within my heart that I needed to change. I was really hoping for a dream or a vision or even a word from a prophet telling me what areas in my heart needed work. Boy was I wrong!
As time progressed and I waited on my revelation God began to test me. I know most times when Christians say “test” people usually think trials, but that’s not what I mean. What God did was allow me to be in situations where the decisions I made highlighted what was really in my heart. Can you imagine the horror I felt when I realized that what felt good to me in a situation or what I gravitated toward naturally was not of God?
For me, I’ve always battled with lust. For as long as I could remember; even before I was saved, it was very easy for my mind to stray to situations and places it shouldn’t. When I got saved over a year ago, I started praying and asking God to save me from this spirit. Now I’ll be honest, on the surface I began to gain control of the situation and I earnestly believed that I no longer had a desire to lust anymore. Yet again I was wrong. On the surface I was okay but that desire was hidden deep in my heart and I was only made aware of that when I found myself in the presence of a young man that I’m attracted to. When lust showed up there I felt devastated and defeated.
I went to God in confusion, not understanding why I was getting into trouble again in this area that I was supposedly free from. That’s when God began to minister to me. He began to show me that my problem was much deeper than I realized and that I needed to constantly pray against the spirit of lust, especially when I feel like I’ve got it under control and trust Him while he works on removing it from my life.
This experience gave me a greater understanding of Paul’s words in Romans 7 where he expressed his distress at doing those things he doesn’t want to. In my distress God took me to Matthew 26:41 where I was given my instruction on how to proceed in wisdom where my secret desire was concerned.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
More and more as the days progress I’m realizing that in order to live a life of holiness and righteousness I need to constantly be in prayer and fasting. Additionally I’m beginning to understand that righteousness and holiness is not an overnight experience; it’s a daily battle between flesh and spirit and once I remember that and keep surrendering my all to God He, through His Holy Spirit will help me to overcome my battles.
If you’re like me; coming to the realization of just how wicked the desires of the heart can be, and you’re seeking answers to this problem I hope that my testimony has helped a bit. I hope that you use the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 7; not as an excuse to continue on in sin, but as encouragement to pick you up out of that place of defeat. I urge you to remain focused and continue pressing on to the mark of the higher calling. Additionally I encourage you to heed the advice in Matthew 26:41 “watch and pray”, understanding that the battle between the spirit and the flesh is an ongoing one that can only be overcome through this method.
Feel free to share your thoughts on this matter with me. Your experiences might have in it the next word of encouragement for me and other persons who may be fighting this battle as well.
Share your testimony, share your experiences, share your God!
II Timothy 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. NKJV
As I sit and reflect on the month gone, God’s spirit takes me back to the beginning of this month when Pastor Ali spoke to the church on the importance of letting God be in control. In His sermon Pastor asked the church if God is in control regardless of how we live. Of course the answer to that question was NO! You see because God has given us free will, His intervention on matters in our lives is determined by our willingness for Him to intervene. Therefore if our lives do not reflect or communicate as much to God then He cannot keep those things which we have held on to and refuse to put in His care.
As the month progressed it was revealed that we can interpret the above scripture two ways. Firstly God cannot control what we don’t commit to Him. There are so many battles the church face because we do not commit situations, tribulations, cares, worries and other such things into God’s care. We say that we love God and we trust His will, but we continue to try and live this life based on our own strength and understanding.
Secondly we see that whatever we commit to God He is able to keep. God’s word is true and He is faithful to what word, therefore we can rely on Him to stand true to it. I have always been career motivated and so in the past I would constantly be battling with ways to advance my career in a particular direction. Earlier last year, when I began my relationship with Christ, I committed my job to God’s care and the rewards and peace of that commitment is simply amazing (you can ask me for details).
I know what you’re probably saying, “Keela you don’t understand. You don’t know how hard it is to let go of the things I’m dealing with. You have no idea what my battle entails”. You’re probably right, I might not understand your particular situation but I do understand this; God’s word is true and if the bible says He is able to keep what we commit to Him then He really is able to do it. It’s up to us to trust His word and His love and give everything over to Him so He can have His way with it.
God doesn’t ask us to do anything without telling us how to do it. So, here’s how to start. Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. If we are to find strength to commit things in our lives to God we first have to take our eyes off of those things and look toward Him. In so doing we will learn to trust His desire for our lives and we will begin to understand His true capabilities in keeping everything we commit to Him. So don’t take my word for it, try the remedy in Matthew 6:33 and begin to see what great things God will do with those things you commit to Him.
I hope you all have a blessed month.
Keela!
Psalm 146:5-6 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever
You are not the only one who has experienced God’s faithfulness. Through the years, believers have experienced His provision.
Read Old Testament accounts of those who have never seen Him fail. Watch His acts in the New Testament as He showed the church that it could trust Him.
God cannot fail His children, and He will not fail you.
Trust in the God of Jacob, and pass on your testimony of His faithfulness.
*Everyday Encouragement – Pamela L. Mcquade
Luke 4:10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
Yesterday I was driving and on two separate occasions I had encounters that should have caused me to get into a vehicular accident but by God’s grace that wasn’t the case.
In both instances I was driving in the furthest lane with no shoulder to pull unto. I was between a lane of traffic and concrete pillars. In the first instance another driver pulled suddenly from his lane and at the very last second I slammed on my brakes watching in horror as his vehicle passed dangerously close to mine. The thing is I wasn’t expecting such a drive because the vehicle was driving alongside me in the adjacent lane. It had to be an act of God for me to stop the way I did considering the ergonomics of the situation.
Approximately 30 minutes after this encounter on my way back to the office I had a very similar encounter. Yet again a vehicle driving along side me attempted to pull into my lane. This time I looked through the passenger window of my car to see a black wagon heading towards me. On instinct I swerved. As mentioned before I was driving in the last lane next to concrete pillars. I know that I swerved too hard and in my mind’s eye I saw my car slamming into the pillars, however that never happened. When I consider the proximity to which I was driving to those pillars I know I should have hit the car. I somehow managed to swerve and straighten up without any injuries.
I know for sure that God’s angels protected me yesterday. There’s no other way to explain the outcome of the situations above. I am certain that I can stand on God’s word knowing it to be true. He promised that he would give his angels charge over us to guard us carefully and he stood true to his promise yesterday.
I am humbled by my experience and ecstatic to be serving such an amazing and merciful God.
Thank you Jesus!
If you have a testimony you’d like to share with us feel free to contact us on facebook @Testimonies of His Goodness or email it to testifywithme@gmail.com
John 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.
Prayer is such a powerful tool. Sometimes we look at persons who are down and out and instantly think money, food or clothes is what they need. One of my readers commented on a blog I wrote (Holy Spirit Access) some time aback and testifies that sometimes the less fortunate really just need someone who loves them enough to lift them up in prayer.
Don’t get me wrong, the less fortunate do need our help in meeting their physical needs as well. We still have a responsibility to help them in any way we can in their day-to-day living, however we should not stop there. This testimony shows that sometimes the best thing we can do for anyone that we care for is lift them before our Heavenly Father in prayer. I hope Karen’s testimony blesses your heart.
Karen’s Testimony
I had an experience once that really blessed me and showed me the truth of the phrase – lift me up and i will draw all men to me – (badly paraphrased) ,anyway in my twenties I was at a large and bustling train station in London. It was my first visit to the metropolis as I was a small town girl; it was a bit overwhelming, soooo many people bustling about busy with their day. Then a scraggy, smelly old man approached me and asked for some change.
I don’t know what came over me; this was my first encounter with a homeless beggar and I said “yes i’ll give you some money if you will let me pray with you”. Much to the embarrassment of the friend I was with (lol), he said “okay” and I laid my hand on his dirty head and prayed for him; I have no idea what i said.
I then gave him some change and off he went. My friend and I then went into a cafe on the station concourse – we were sitting there having a coffee when this same beggar appeared but this time with 5 other old beggars just like him. Much to the dismay of the other coffee drinkers they approached my table and the old guy said “my friends would like you to pray for them too” I sort of chuckled inside thinking that it was not prayer they wanted but money. I was wrong, because they all bowed their heads as i said a prayer of blessing for them, thanking God for how much he loved these men.
when I was done I expected the hands to come out for money, but instead they just looked at me and and said “thank you” and left!!!
I still wonder what became of them !!!!
If you have a testimony you’d like to share with us feel free to contact us on facebook @Testimonies of His Goodness or email it to testifywithme@gmail.com
Benign, Benign, Benign, Benign!!! I feel like I could say that all day long.
I told you all about my surgery last week Tuesday to remove a lump from my breast and have it tested. (Off to Surgery)
My surgery went really well. I was awake during the entire thing, I didn’t feel any pain and I got the best surgeon in the hospital to work on me. During my two days at the hospital I realized that God has blessed me with a remarkable support system. My family and members of my church who knew really encouraged me and made me feel special.
I’m the type of person that likes to help others. I like to be there for other people and show support any way I could. When I found out that I had to do surgery I didn’t want to tell anyone because I wasn’t worried and I didn’t want anyone to worry either. So, I told my mom and sisters, the members of the youth committee I sit on and my pastors. As God would have it the only inspiration I got to write the Monday I was checking in to the hospital was the fact that I was going in for surgery and I was expecting God to see me through successfully.
That day I got the most amount of views from persons in Trinidad ( I was actually surprised that so many people pay attention to my posts from home). People started writing, texting and calling to offer words of encouragement and see how I was doing. Some where along those concerns I realized that I don’t need to go it alone. I am truly blessed with a battalion of wonderful people who genuinely care for me and for that I am thankful.
Yesterday I went back to the doctor to have my bandages removed and receive the results of the test. I must admit I thought about what it would be like if I had cancer, and the thought itself was frightening. As I sat in the doctor’s office I literally breathed a sigh of relief when I was told that the lump was benign and I would be fine. Isn’t God amazing!
In my rejoicing I am also saddened because someone very near to me called me the day before I got my results and told me they tested positive for cancer. I cried uncontrollably when I got the news. A myriad of thoughts flooded my mind as I compared my situation to theirs and my fears of facing the same fate. I thank God that I am cancer free, but I also pray for my friend and all those who are battling that disease today.
I trusted God to see me through my situation and I’m trusting him to do the same for my friend. I believe God is a healer and I stand on his word which says……………. And by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). I am trusting God to have his way in my friend’s life and the life of every believer who put their trust in him for healing. God is a good and faithful God and I am believing him for miracles.
– Akeela Marin
If you have a testimony you’d like to share with us feel free to contact us on facebook @Testimonies of His Goodness or email it to testifywithme@gmail.com
Testimonies of His Goodness 