Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: leaders

• America! Divided We Fall!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on January 8, 2021

  Matthew 12:25 – “But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” NKJV

  

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  I know it’s on your mind! It’s on the minds of people all over the world, so I interrupt my blog to say, “America! Don’t you understand that divided we fall?”

  I’ve blogged before about how all of this tension could lead to civil war. This is scary, because it makes it seem even more real than my imagination.

  I’ve read fiction and non-fiction books about the Civil War. I’ve seen documentaries and movies about the Civil War! And can I just remind us all that it was a terrible time in our history!! We don’t want to repeat it!

  Jesus said that a kingdom divided against itself would not stand but fall to desolation. Not us, fellow citizens! Please, not us!

  We need to find a place of common ground as citizens and begin to make every effort to reunite as a nation. We need to put a stop to this type of behavior swiftly and decisively. And we need our politicians to stop thinking about their parties and their power and to begin to think about the safety of America! It’s why we voted them in!

  But as Christians, we are not without fault. God gave us our marching orders in the Old Testament:

  If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 – NKJV

  Christians, we have some repenting to do! And again in the New Testament:

  I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10

  As a body, we are in error. The division in the United States is really sad, and it’s wrong. The division in the Church is heartbreaking. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike, it’s time to pray for unity! It’s time to walk in unity! It’s time to show the world Jesus!

  I end with this! I saw a legislator praying her heart out during the chaos! That is the picture of the church the world needs to see! I commend her and join her in prayer for our nation, and for each other!

  Lord, how I love America! With all of its faults, it’s still my country of birth and my country of choice. I don’t want to see us fighting amongst one another. I understand that we have a lot of serious issues in our country that need to be addressed, but I pray that You will help us find the solutions. Help us to not take matters in our own hands. Help us to recognize truth and shun deception. Help us to forgive and to heal. God, there’s no accomplishing anything good without You. Help us to remember what we have obviously forgotten: how families fought against one another in the Civil War and was forever torn apart. God, help us! How friends fought against one another, even being responsible for one another’s death, because no one wanted to work things out. Oh God, not again! Not in my America! Please forgive us for leaving You out of the equation, or for thinking that you were a part of what You were never a part of! Jesus, we need divine intervention and protection in our land. Lord, Lord, Lord, we call out to You this day! Do what only You can do in the manner in which only You can accomplish! And Lord, help our leaders to make wise decisions that will bless and benefit our nation more than themselves. And before I forget, thank you for protecting them on yesterday. In Jesus’ Name! Amen! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Christian, Deliverance, Jesus, Social Justice | 1 Comment | Tagged America at odds, chaos in the Capitol, Christian legislators, civil unrest, Democrats, division in the Church, division in the nation, healing for the land, Holy Spirit, Independents, Jesus, leaders, Prayer, Republicans

• He Gave Gifts!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on December 14, 2020

  Ephesians 4:8 – Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” NKJV

  

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  At this time of the year, there are several holidays being celebrated: Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza. Within each of these celebrations is the practice of giving gifts. The giving and exchanging of gifts make the holidays even more special as we share tokens of our love and appreciation to friends, co-workers, and family members. It can become a little overwhelming at times, for some, but the point that I want to make is that the holiday season is a time of giving gifts.

  When Jesus was visited by the wise men, they brought him gifts!

  Matthew 2:11 – And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. NKJV

  It is believed that each of these gifts held spiritual significance for Jesus. The gold represented His kingship, the frankincense represented His priestly role, and the myrrh was used for embalming, to signify that He had come to die. Now, I read this in several articles, and have no real evidence of such, but it sounds legit! For surely He is King of kings, He is our High Priest, and He did die for our sins. How would the Magi know this? They were led to choose these particular gifts by the Holy Spirit, and presented them with great reverence and faith to little King Jesus.

  That same Jesus, who is no longer in a manger, and didn’t stay there for very long, is now giving gifts to mankind. As I continue to look at the Christmas season, in light of our risen Savior, and not the babe wrapped in swaddling clothing, I feel a need to briefly discuss these gifts.

  In Ephesians 4:8, the word for gift, in the Greek, is “doma” and literally means “to build”. The interesting thing about this word, is that the focus is more on the character of the gift, then it’s beneficial nature. This is easily understood when you read what these gifts are called, and their purpose.

  Typically, in the Church, we call these gifts the ministry gifts, because they are the names of the titles of those who do ministry in the church. In verse 11, Paul informs us of these “gifts” given to men: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Most denominations agree with having evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but only a few acknowledge the gifts of the apostles and prophets. Today’s blog is not to validate, or persuade you in either direction, just to point out the fact that He gave them as gifts to the Body.

  Why did Jesus give us these gifts? Paul tells us in this same chapter:

  Ephesians 4:12-13 – “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; NKJV

  The ministry gifts were given to equip the saints for ministry. Isn’t that something? The job of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. I thought they were given for ministry? They were! But in giving us these gifts, these individuals, they exist to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

  This word for perfecting of the saints is used only once in the Greek Bible. What it denotes is “to render, to fit, sound, complete. In others words, their job is to help make us sound in the word of God, and to help us to be complete in our life as believers.

  We come into the “Church” from every walk of life. We know how to do some things well, and others things are a puzzle for us. We may be CEOs in a corporation, doctors, waitresses, nurses, or a person off the streets when we come to Christ. As we enter into this new relationship with Him, this new life, we need someone to help us to navigate through the kingdom of God. This is where the gifts come in. Jesus gave gifts to certain members of the Body to assist us in our journey.

  The apostle starts churches and ministries. As he goes about his work, he leads the way in what it looks like to build a ministry from the ground up, in other areas, just as Paul did during his missionary journey. He looks amongst the people of God and recognize leadership and gifts in others and help to place them in the place where God wants to use them. He walks in a lot of foresight and is often a person a great vision. Starting churches and new ministries take skill and faith. An apostle has the ability to “not to despise small beginnings” and to see the great possibilities of planting ministries and churches. We need them to teach us how to do these things, and to sometimes pull us along in the building of new churches and ministries.

  We have the prophets. We don’t understand everything God is doing and saying to us as a church and as individuals. The prophet is in the body to exhort, encourage, and comfort us. Again, we can come into the church, emotionally broken, and struggling to make it in this life. God’s prophetic voice is there to encourage us, to help us to understand that we’ve made the right choice in choosing Jesus, and we will make it. She may even be used to give a word of exhortation to push us to become our true self. Or God can use her to bring comfort after a trying and difficult time in our lives. The way may seem clearer after the prophet has done his/her job to equip us, build us, so that now God can use us for His glory!

  We all understand the roles of the evangelist, pastors, and teachers. The evangelist stirs us up for evangelism, often leading us in the call to win the lost at any cost. The teacher expounds on the word, explaining it, breaking it down, or pulling it up, to meet our spiritual hunger for the understanding of the word. And the pastor may have the hardest job of all, watching over the sheep!

  The point is, as we come into the family of God, gifts are waiting to open our eyes and our hearts to the King. As we grow in the family of God, the gifts are still there to train us, build us, and steer us in the kingdom. These gifts are available to us until we all come to the unity of the faith. He hasn’t removed them, He isn’t withholding them, because He has given them to us for our perfecting and for our equipping.

  As gifts, these individuals are not our lords. We have only one, Jesus! Although, I believe they are to be honored and respected as we would anyone who is placed in our lives to make them better. They are there to be a blessing, and when they are functioning according to the will of God, they are a tremendous blessing. This holiday season, remember, He gave you gifts! We call them our spiritual leadership, to help us in this walk of life. This holiday season, encourage them by letting them know they have been a real gift to your walk of faith! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Christmas, Gifts, Holiday Celebrations, Jesus | 7 Comments | Tagged apostles, encouragement, equipping the Body, evangelists, Gifts, God, Jesus, king, Kingdom of God, leaders, ministry, pastors, perfecting of saints, prophets, teachers

• Whose Side Is God On?

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 13, 2020

  Joshua 5:13 – “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “ Are You for us or for our adversaries?”NKJV

  

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  For some reason this popped into my mind as I sat down to blog, “Whose side is God on”? And then this verse was brought to my mind. Having been down this road before, I knew what I was supposed to blog about tonight!

  In the text for today, Joshua was ready to go into battle against Jericho. Apparently he was taking a stroll, or praying, or thinking about strategies for the upcoming battle, when suddenly someone was standing before him. He didn’t know it was an angel at first, but he asks, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

  How many times have we gone to God asking the same question? “God, whose side are you own?”

  People take their sports seriously in America. Football, basketball, baseball, and every other kind of sport is serious. I well remember watching the playoffs during the Bulls many championship seasons, and feeling those tense moments when the game wasn’t going in our favor. It wasn’t strange to have someone say, “God is for the Bulls! We’re going to win this thing!” Maybe jokingly, and maybe not, but they felt the game was just that important to them so it must’ve been important to God. And since they were believers, He had to be on their side! Or because the quarter back was a believer, or the pitcher, or the coach… You get the point!

  How about in the dispute of marriage? Two believers are having a really tough time at it. They are both sure that they are right, and they are both sure that God is leading them. They dig their heels in feeling confident they are hearing from God! Whose side is He on? How would you know?

  Well, in this particular instance with Joshua, the angel responded that he wasn’t on either side, because he was on the side of the Lord! I don’t believe the angel has changed positions, nor has God! If the sports fanatic asked him that question, he would respond the same way. If the spouse asked him that question, he would respond the same way! The Lord changes not!

  You see, Joshua was sent by God to fight the battle of Jericho. Technically, Joshua was on God’s side. Interestingly enough to note, that even though Joshua was carrying out the will of God in going up against Jericho, the angel reminded Joshua that he was on the side of the Lord, and only on God’s side!

  I’m going there tonight! Whose side is God on in this presidential mayhem? Is He for the Democrats or the Republicans? Who did He want to win and what will He do about it? God’s on His side! He’s for the Democrats and the Republicans and He gave us the choice to pick our president!

  Sometimes we vote and we elect a Republican for President, and sometimes we elect a Democrat. It is inevitable since we have only two major parties, that it happens that way. It’s called a democracy!

  As Christians we understand that God cares about a righteous nation.

  Proverbs 11:10 – When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. NKJV

  And:

  Proverbs 29:2 – When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. NKJV

  Righteous leadership always benefits the righteous! But with all that is going on in our country, its getting increasingly more difficult to determine who is righteous. And that’s a shame!

  I mentioned before that in the 2016 election, Democrats were referred to as the “evil Democrats” by too many church leaders. And here we are four years later and it is still happening! We’ve learned nothing in four years!

  I believe that in this culture of politics, we have become one another adversaries, and I think it is wrong. We still are not to wrestle with flesh and blood! This is not a theocratic situation where we got together before God, He told us who the leader would be, and we chose them, anointed them, and released them to lead. Nope! It’s a democracy! And we have voted and chosen our new President. Half of the country is not happy, the other half is very happy! We all think God is on our side! But He isn’t! He is on His side!

  It’s always great when our candidate win! However, in a democracy, once the vote is cast, the deal is done! I agree with President-elect Biden, it’s time to put the harsh words and the name calling aside, and join forces to unite our country! Hear the words of our Savior:

  Mark 3:25 – And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. NKJV

  Jesus told it true! If we keep fighting like this, we will destroy ourselves and no foreign power will have to. We cannot afford another civil war! Let’s unite! Let’s continue the mantra, “one nation under God” and let’s do all we can to make it so! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, righteousness, Unity | 0 Comments | Tagged angel of the Lord, choosing sides, democracy, house divide, Jesus, Joshua, leaders, Marriage, President-elect Biden, righteousness, sports fanatics, theocracy, trust in God

• God Our Strength!

  Posted at 5:01 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 21, 2020

  Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” KJV

  

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  In my previous post, I wrote about God as our refuge. In this blog, I want to talk about God, our strength!

  The stories I can tell about God being my strength! I have discovered that not only does God provide us with His strength, but He is our strength. In the book of 1 Samuel, He is called the Strength of Israel. When the nations around Israel looked at the Israelites and saw strength, it was God’s strength that they really saw. When people see us, the children of God, during these difficult days, they should see God’s strength radiating through us, because He is our strength!

  David knew his strength was God, not just in God, but God. God delivered David from the hand of Saul and his enemies, causing David to say, “God is my strength and power: and He makes my way perfect.” We all know that David didn’t have a perfect life, nor did he have an easy life, but he knew that God had been his strength during his life, enabling him to rise above incredible obstacles.

  David was ignored by his family and given the job of shepherding the family’s sheep, but God was His strength during that time. David killed the lion and the bear, and was confident enough to take out Goliath, because God was his strength. David’s men wanted to stone him after their families were taken at Ziklag, but David went off by himself and communed with God, his strength! The Bible tells us that he encouraged himself in the Lord! There he got the answers and the strength he needed, to go and recover all!

  David was hunted by Saul, simply because of Saul’s jealousy towards him; but when given the opportunity to hurt Saul, his Strength would not allow him to do it. David’s mighty men didn’t go to him as warriors, but as men in distress, with debt and discontent as their description, and because God was David’s strength, he helped them to embrace God as their strength.

  As I was meditating on the truth that God is our strength, God brought the church to my mind. I thought about the pastors who are preaching to empty chairs in an empty sanctuary. It was hard at the beginning of the virus, but it’s even harder now. One well known pastor struggled so in the beginning, that his thoughts were jumbled and his movements were disjointed. What started out as a possible few weeks of interruption has become months of uncertainties. Not only is the church faced with empty sanctuaries, but they also have to deal with loss of income that support the ministry and pay the bills.

  While it is understandable that there is a great concern about the finances, pastors also have a great concern about the people God has given them to watch over. One woman in ministry was sharing with me her concerns for the flock. She said she couldn’t understand how you can have a membership of 100 people and only 12 of them join you online for services. Her concern was real, as she wanted to know if the people really had a relationship with God, where were they at?

  I like the words that Isaiah wrote:

  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2

  Isaiah found God to be his strength, just as David had; but, it came out of a deep, abiding trust in God. Isaiah said, “I will trust, and I will not be afraid!” That’s the answer to every hurting pastor and leader in the Body of Christ. As ministers, the worldwide, have encouraged their people to trust in God in the darkest hour, God is saying to them, “I am your strength, trust Me!”

  Habakkuk also wrote about God as his strength:

  The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:19

  Habakkuk let it be known that God was his strength and his feet were sure, as he walked before God and stood on His promises! Pastors and ministers are quitting because things have gotten tough. Maybe this was their testing ground to see if they were sent or if they just went! Jesus said the shepherd doesn’t run from the trouble, but he runs to the trouble, as David did. David’s confidence when he faced the lion, the bear, Goliath, and the Philistines wasn’t in him; but in the God who had become his strength and his song!

  I’ve been blogging since February of 2018. God told me to blog. In this first year I had 457 views. I thought I was doing something, impacting people around the world with my blog. Today my numbers are much greater, but my attitude is the same. I am doing something, and I am impacting people around the world through this blog, with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Some days my stats show that I have had 2 views, and other days it might show more than 75. I know that if my focus is on the stats, I will not be able to do the assignment that God gave me. Three days a week, I sit and write my blog. Most times I can do it in a couple hours, but sometimes it takes days. Whether one person view a blog, or 500, I have to stay the course!

  However, God has placed a different ministry in my heart and soul. He called me to preach and to teach the gospel. I have seen myself, in dreams, preaching to crowds of people, laying hands on the sick and seeing creative miracles, impacting lives for the glory of God. I have seen visions of the power of God flowing from heaven into my earthly body, and flowing out of my body into His people with miracles following. I never saw me blogging! And if the truth be told, I am further away from my dream today than I have ever been. But I am strong in the Lord, for He is my strength. I can’t see anything happening to bring me to my dream when churches are so empty and the future of how we do church is weighing in the balance, but I will trust God my strength with it all!

  That’s not all I can do! That’s not all any of us can do! That’s what we should be doing at this time, placing our unwavering trust in God as our strength! He will get you up out of the bed when you don’t feel like you have anymore reasons left to get up! He will give you the greatest message to preach when you have no more inspiration left on the inside of you! He will be your strength as you raise your children, work at that job you don’t like, or sit at home when you would rather be outside! He will be your strength and give you strength, when your trust is in Him!

  Being a child of God isn’t for the faint of heart! There are not a lot of tulips to tip toe through! But trusting God as your refuge and strength during times of trouble, will bring you out on the other side with great victory and strength! The devil hasn’t forged a weapon, greater than our God! Decide today, that as He is referred to as the Strength of Israel, He can also be referred to as the Strength of… (whatever your name is)! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, hard times, Strength, trust in God | 2 Comments | Tagged God, hard times, leaders, our strength, pastors, struggling, trusting in God

• National Day of Prayer!

  Posted at 3:28 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 3, 2018

  Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.-1 Timothy 2:1-4

  Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer in the US. Many churches will be opening their doors to allow congregants and neighborhood residents to come in and pray for the nation and other things on their hearts. This is a good thing! This is a God thing! For He has absolutely given us a command to pray for those in authority over us that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.

  There’s no turning on the news today without hearing of the sad state of affairs that our nation and many of our cities are in. Politicians are not representing the people as they promised and the streets are filled with violence. Are we to fear? God forbid!

  I know that God is not shocked by the “headline news” because He knows all things! But is He pleased with our lack of prayer regarding these officials, regarding our cities? I think so!

  It’s great that people will be taking a moment of silent prayer in schools, at their jobs, and even in some churches; but it’s going to take dedicated, faithful prayers of righteous men and women to effect change in our cities and nations.

  Maybe you don’t live in America, but that doesn’t release you from your responsibility to pray for your nation, for your leaders. Quite frankly, I don’t even remember the last time, outside of church, that I spent any real time praying about these issues. I pray during election season, I pray when people are not making godly decisions, and I pray when things affect me negatively. But honestly, they are not at the top of my prayer list.

  So I have decided to not wait for tomorrow to pray, but I will pray before I go to sleep. And I will begin to make a greater effort to pray for those in leadership over me in my church (this one is easy) my job (maybe not the kind that I have been praying), my city, and my nation, because I don’t want to forfeit another day of peace and I want to see these people truly give their hearts to Jesus and live for Him! I encourage you to join in with me and the millions who will be praying for America because God knows we surely need it! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Prayer | 0 Comments | Tagged Christian, leaders, National day of prayer, Prayer

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