Blinded

Psalm 125; Matthew 26-27

Matthew 27:42-44 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Pharisees and Jews spit on Jesus, yelled at Him, cursed Him, laughed at Him, hit Him, mocked Him, etc. They took a man that they thought was weak and took advantage of the fact that he was bound with shackles. They saw that He wouldn't fight back or even say anything in His defense. They thought they were stronger than Him by what they saw with their eyes.

People are so blind by what they see that they are sheltered from the truth. A persons mind forgets the important things and only remembers the things that get them ahead in life. I'm sure that those people that mocked Jesus thought they were doing the right thing by following everyone else, because it was what other people thought that mattered. And its still the same thousand years later, people today are still blinded by their own selfishness.
People are beat in front of them and they "can't get involved".
People are hurt by others opinions so they feel they have to "take control" and shut people up.
The devil is sitting right in front of them and they shake hands with him instead of kicking his butt.

Its time to open our eyes to what God is saying and doing. He wants us to see the truth for what it is and live by it. Jesus is calling us to stick up for Him now instead of being quiet. No one fought for Him and His rights to live. No one tried to stop the crucifixion. He died. And others laughed.
But now its time. Its time to stick up for Christ. Stick up for His cause and not remain quiet. Its time to love on Jesus and proclaim that Yes He is the Messiah. He is Lord, He is Savior, He is King.

Father,
Thank you for your power and authority over my life. You are my Savior yesterday, today and forever. You are King and Majesty over all the earth. You are Lord or Lords and I praise you because you are worthy and Holy.
I forever love you always
Amen

No Eye Balls

Matthew 17-19 ^a]">
Matthew 18:7-9
⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Jesus came to this earth to know how it felt to be human. God is spirit, divine, perfect and didn't know why humans acted like humans. Jesus came and felt all that we feel. He came and was tempted like we are tempted. He had thoughts like we do, felt what we feel, heard what we hear. So when it was time for Jesus to be tempted, instead of falling His thoughts and heart were with God. His priority was the kingdom of heaven and not what someone else will think of me. He knew the true meaning of following Gods will, no matter how much it hurt.

When I stumble, I bring it to God. I allow God to do His will in my life through the mistakes that I make. I know that Jesus doesn't want me to gouge out my eye physically (maybe back in the day) but to destroy anything and everything that is making me stumble and sin. He wants me to get rid of every little thing that makes me fall. Its better to get rid of what makes you sin than to go to the fiery pits of hell.

There are times when I do sin that I go to others and pray for me. Jesus doesn't want us to do things alone. He wants us to find others and pray for one another so our voices will connect with our spirits and God can hear us pleading for Him.

¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Father,
Thank you that you made this world unique. Each and every person is different in their own way and we all struggle with different things. You are Creator and Maker of all and I praise you for forgiveness, Grace, Mercy, Hope, and Love. You Lord are the Creator of a better tomorrow. You are the Maker of a brighter future. Your forgiveness is what keeps me going. Your Grace is what makes my heart beat. Your Mercy is what gets me closer to You. Your Hope is what wakes me up in the morning. Your Love is what makes me breathe.
I forever love you always
Amen

Perfect in weakness

Psalm 124; 2 Corinthians 11-13

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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.

Paul was a strong man. His faith and hope were totally and completely engulfed in God. Anything that he went through he first went to God and put his trust in Him. Even though he was strong he also knew he was weak which made him more reachable to the people who needed Christ the most.

People in authority sometimes make themselves seem more like God than human. They sometimes forget that they are still tempted and still sin everyday. We all have weaknesses. I have plenty weaknesses. I've had more in the past when i didn't know how to be strong but now that I am stronger I am more in control. I can tell people my weaknesses without being embarrassed and allow others to come into my life and be accountable for me. I believe that is why Paul boasted about his weaknesses, so people would take into account those things and if he was ever in a compromising situation than those people would help him make the right decisions.

Father,
Thank you for loving me so much that your love has made me stronger than before. I know I still fall in my weaknesses but through your power I can rise up and meet you where you are.
I forever love you always
Amen

Live as a Believer

Job 35-36; 1 Corinthians 7-8

1 Corinthians 7:17 ¹⁷ Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

Paul wrote what he lived. He wrote by example, through his own life, his own temptations, his own weaknesses and strengths. He knew what it was like to live with and in the world and how to live with and in the Spirit. He saw the problems of a marriage from the outside view which means it was worse from the inside. And he lived as a single man wholly devoted to God.

As a believer and a leader, the situations i go through seem to explode 100 x's more. My life and path that i choose is reflected on by others especially for others to see the end result. My sins feel 100 x's worse too. Paul tells me that whatever situation I am in, I need to live as a believer. When i make a mistake...pick myself back up and live as a believer. When someone doesn't like me, don't hate on them back...I am to live as a believer. When I think i have done the worst thing i could do and feel confused, frustrated, numb...I am not to fall back into old ways...I am to live as a believer.

Lord,
You have assigned me this life. You have given me this time to be with you and follow you and love you. And sometimes I fall back, I sin, I do stupid things and let my flesh take over, but i want to live as Your believer. As someone who believes in You. As someone who worships You. As someone who loves You. Father, forgive my sins that yes i do forget about the sin and only think selfishly. Guide me to your true and forever righteousness,
I forever love you always
Amen

Pilate the Coward

Job 26-27; Mark 15-16

^{Mark 15:12-15
12} “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted.

¹⁴ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Pilate was in a pickle. He was the leader, he held Jesus' life in his hand and saw found nothing wrong with him. Pilate had a decision to make, do what the people say or listen to his gut. He listened to the people.

Living in a society where other people have a great influence, its easy to point the finger and Pilate and call him a coward. But looking at daily life, we make this decision everyday. "Its either them or me". And we would probably do what Pilate did: put ourselves first before anyone else, no matter how innocent they are. We unfortunately live in a selfish world with selfish people, but God came to become the light at the end of the tunnel. And with that light, we can be different.

Its easy in my area of work to have a bad attitude to people. I can snarl at them back and shake my head back and forth to them if i wanted to. Last night a lady asked me a question and i gave her an answer with a smile, but she decided to give me straight attitude! I could've done it right back if i wanted to but i answered her again...with a smile. And I'm glad i did because a lady was watching me the whole time and was surprised that i kept my composure. She even told me that she used to be the one who would have the attitude all the time with everyone, but now shes asked God to help change her heart. Telling her I'm a Pastor didn't surprise her because of how i kept myself in the situation. And however someone treats me, i have to remember that someone is always watching.

Father,

Thank you for the patience that you have instilled in my life. You have planted a seed inside of me that i can take to others and they can see who You are in me. Lord, keep using me for your good and guide me to your path everyday. I will not give up on you, your word, your promises, and your presence in my life. You are my everything

I forever love you always, Amen

Sold Out

Job 25; Mark 13-14

Mark 14:29-31

²⁹ Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

³⁰ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice^e]">[e] you yourself will disown me three times.”

³¹ But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

Peter was a rash man. He spoke before he could think about what was going out of his mouth. He was the type of man that was very emotional. He was led by his emotions and sometimes that got him in trouble. Peter was gung-ho for Jesus. He loved the cause and believed with all his heart that Jesus would save them. He was next to Jesus when he did miracles, when he healed the sick and stood up to the Pharisees. He was sold out.

There are good reasons and bad reasons to be sold out.

Good: you believe in something bigger than yourself. /The cause you are following is for the greater good. / You know you are doing something that is not selfish and helping others at the same time.

Bad: You can get so tied up in something that you forget why you were sold out in the first place.

I am a sold out Christian. Yet, in time I have realized the pros and cons and tried to keep my emotions in check and see the reality of it all. Sometimes there are people in my life who are also sold out but become sell outs. I don't want to do that. I want to remain sold out and know that I am not perfect. Believe that Jesus loves me for who I am and he remains loving me even with my faults. I don't ever want to doubt in Gods existence and choose another path just cause life doesn't deal me the perfect cards. I want to keep walking on the road that God is guiding me on and remain focused on him.

Peter had the right idea. He thought with all his heart that he would NEVER betray Jesus. But even a disciple of Christ can be led astray. We are all guilty of sin, and betray Jesus with that sin. But the good thing about Peter? He came back, on his knees, broken and ready to try again.

Father,

Thank you for brokenness. Peter was a broken man after he realized what his heart truly held. But he came back and I thank you for allowing me to come back. Thank you for helping me be a better person and showing me what my heart truly entails. I am not perfect nor anything close to it, but I want to be close to you. Close to your heart, close to your life. I love you.

I forever love you Always, Amen.