Month: November 2019

God Designed Us With Precision

On By tgifmastermindsIn Uncategorized3 Comments

Blog - God and herbs and drumba class

That’s me in the center of my Drumba Class beating with precision!

Because my birthday celebration is upon me, I have found myself giving over to silent, impromptu, heartfelt and sincere prayers of thanks to our gracious, loving and kind Lord of Host for ordaining me these expanded years of life. For the Bible says; “The days of our years are threescore years and ten…” Psalm 90:10

Yet, God has given me much more…

Not only was He generous in giving me extended years of life, but He has also designed my innermost being to remain healthy and sustaining for most of them…notwithstanding the stripes Jesus Christ suffered on the cross for my salvation.  Plus the strength to beat those large balls to death to lively music in my Drumba classes.

So, I can say with assurance; “I praise you, {Lord}, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  Psalm 139:14

God Placed Natural Healing Wisdom At Our Fingertips…

Do you realize that God did not just make us with precision, He also gave us access to bona fide natural medical remedies to cure what ails us.  As you know, for centuries, people have been using herbs for their culinary and medicinal benefits.  Listed below are 7 herbs that are still being widely used today for healing and restoration.  Some of their uses in biblical times and today are listed.

  Blog - God made us with precision aloe plant

Aloe

 Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes.  About  seventy-five pounds (for burial).  John 19:39

Today’s use is for burns, rashes and to lower blood pressure.
Blog -God made us cumin

Cumin

 (Jesus said in regards to tithing) Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You give a tenth of your spices—mint, anise and cumin (for cooking).  Matthew 23:23

Today’s use is for your digestion system, breast feeding, and coughs.
Blog - God lemon balm

Lemon balm

 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.  Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt (for bartering).  Genesis 37:25

Today’s use is for making soothing salves and oils.
Blog - God Designed us precision bitter herbs

Bitter Herbs

 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. (seasoning)  Exodus 12:8

Today’s use is for kidney stones, digestive system and the urinary tract.

Mustard Seed

 

 He (Jesus) told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field (Medicine and teaching).  Luke 13:18, 19

Today’s use is for common colds, soar throats, muscle and back relaxing, and as a hair conditioner to treat damaged hair.

Myrrh

 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad (for burial). Psalm 45:8

Today’s use is as a cleansing agent, and to help with ulcerated throats and mouth sores.
Blog - God olive tree

Olive Oil

 Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually ( illumination).  Leviticus 24:2

Today’s use is for cosmetics, medicine, cooking, and soaps, and was also used as a fuel for traditional lamps.

 

I’ll be the first to admit that with drug stores and pharmacists so readily available, I do not avail myself to a lot of natural healing.  But I have tried olive oil and aloe for medicinal purposes.  Once, when I was a teenager, my grandmother had me to chew on a dandelion root to cure my cramps.  And another time she picked some wild mint from the front yard and had me chew it to alleviate a sour stomach.  Both experiences worked.  Boy oh boy, how I wished I had preserved all those ‘ole time’ remedies!

As I prepared for this blog, the Holy Spirit reminded me of this verse:   “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”  Revelation 22:2

I thought to myself, God is interested in every thing I do.  He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am His own.  How wonderful and blessed I am to have such a friend in Jesus.  (And I pray that that is your desire, too.)  As for me, I will continue to serve Him until traveling days (and birthdays) are over.  Amen!

Scripture Lesson:   “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.  I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”  Psalm 34:1-4

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!   

 

 God Whispered “Count Your Blessings”

On By tgifmastermindsIn Uncategorized4 Comments

 

Blog - hospitality somewhere listening man-tattooed-praying-1278566

Yes, we all need to go to God in prayer

As a child, while in the first decade of my life, there was a song I sung in Sunday School entitled, “Count Your Blessings, Name Them One By One”.  Well, this morning, as I’m approaching the 8th decade of my life, the Lord whispered, My Child, count your blessings.

(There is no sweeter sound to hear early in the morning then the sweet, sweet, voice of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.)

So, the first thoughts that ran through my mind were the spiritual gifts that the Lord has so graciously showered on me.  Did you know that there are spiritual gift survey tools that can help you discover and exercise your God-given gifts?  Most Christians have a dominant spiritual gift and many Christians have more than one gift.  I’ve been tested and my dominant spiritual gift is Hospitality.

But for some reason, this morning as I was praying and preparing to write my blog post for this week, the Holy Spirit directed me to one of my minor gifts, my gift of ministry.  You see, I love to pray for all kinds of situations, for example; my fellow believers, strangers, lost causes, world events, highway accidents, police and fire truck sirens, and stumped toes.  Yep! Just about anything. Smiling face with halo

Praying personally for people is the hardest assignment…though.  Why?… because there should be a method for the moment.  And that lesson was what the Holy Spirit wanted to remind me of this morning.

When ministering to others and when they specifically ask you to pray for them, I was reminded by my Heavenly Father to A-S-K!

  • ASK the person what exactly do they want Jesus to do.  Do not just look at their physical appearance or listen to their ranting about their circumstances.  Preference your question with scripture by saying:  Jesus asked the blind man in Mark 10:51 “What do you want me to do for you?”
  • ASK the person how long they have encountered the problem.  This inquiry gives you and the person time to pause, think, relax and breathe.  This question also gives you time to ascertain if the person is harboring any unconfessed sins such as guilt, or resentment.  Remember how Jesus prayed in Mark 9:21 “Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?'”
  • SEEK the persons eyeballs!  Yes, always look them dead in the eyes. If the person turns their head away, or will not look you in the eyes, this could indicate that they are afraid or uneasy.  This could also be caused by many other things.  Are you too close to them…in their space.  Or are there too many other distractions such as no privacy or maybe you both need to sit down or kneel or something.  Look around.  Be vigilant.  For your information, Matthew 6:22-23 says, “The eye is the lamp of the body.  If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.”
  • SEEK the Lord.  Your first prayer for the person may be one for any unconfessed sins, resentment or guilt.  OR the timing may not be right.  Remember the cripple man in the Bible who was put at the gate called Beautiful every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  But he did not receive what he really needed until Peter and John passed by him one day.  Acts 3:1-5
  •  KNOCK on the door of the Holy Spirit.  Ask Him to come in and sup with you and the person you are ministering to.  Wait on Him.  This may take a few seconds or minutes.  Begin your time together by just whispering a soft prayer or invitation for the Holy Spirit and Jesus to come into your mist prior to your partitioning Them for aide for the person you are praying for.
  • KNOCK again if necessary.  After you have prayed and neither of you since the anointing of the Holy Spirit, pray again.  Or perhaps you need to schedule another time or solicit two or three other prayer partners to corporately pray for this person.  Some things come through prayer and fasting.   Matthew 17:21

Thank you Holy Spirit for this time together.  My prayer is that God will be glorified whenever someone feels the need to call on another to be ministered to in prayer.  And if the name called is mine, please, God, allow me to be somewhere listening and remembering all the many blessings you have given me.   AMEN.

– Merle Haggard – I’ll Be List’ning

Scripture Lesson:  Therefore, confess your sins to one another (your false steps, your offenses_, and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored.  The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much (when put into action and made effective by God–it is dynamic and can have tremendous power).  James 5:16 (Amplified)
Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

 

 

God Wants You To Become More Christlike

On By tgifmastermindsIn Uncategorized2 Comments

EAT THE WORD

Out of the frying pan and into the skillet!  That was the first thought that entered my mind as I started to write this week’s blog. Where did that thought come from I asked myself?  Dear Lord are you there?  Are you trying to tell me something?  Speak Lord, for thy servant is listening.

And thus, our conversation began…

Did you know that becoming like Christ has nothing to do with transforming your personality, but everything to do with transforming your character?  However, to understand this statement, you first must know the definition for both words.

  • Personality – The sum of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual.  (These features can be honed by the individual.)
  • Character – The inherent complex of attributes that determines a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions. (These features can ONLY be honed by Christ.)

I intentionally highlighted the difference between these two words to make it absolutely clear what the Bible teaches us.  Yes, we are wonderfully and uniquely made in the image of God and he does not want us to lose this uniqueness.  But what he does want is for us to develop our character in the image of the beatitudes listed in Matthew Chapter 5.  In other words, God desires our character to be a blessing to others and not to make you a god but to transform you to be godly.

The lesson to be learned is this…develop your personality not just to be a unique individual that is all about “me-myself-and I”.  BUT use your unique personality to be a nurturer to others.  Allow your moral and ethical characteristics and actions to be a source of power God can use to mold you into his godly person.

Rick Warren, author of the book, The Purpose Driven Life writes; “Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation.”  So why not consider to ‘let go’ of your methods of what is good and perfect and ‘let God’ fortify your spiritual growth and development.

Personal testimony….

It wasn’t that long ago when I personally struggled with this dilemma.  I wanted so much to be just like my older sister.  But she was much smarter than I.  She dominated the accolades from our parents.  I was always being compared to my sister as being ‘not as smart as M______’.  As an adult, I began to recognize that what I really desired as a child was to mimic my sister’s personality.  And that flawed thinking almost destroyed my ability to allow God to do a good work in me by developing my own character borne out of my love for Jesus Christ.

GOD HAD TO ERADICATE ALL MY CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF THINKING THAT I COULD NETHER BE AS GOOD OR AS HUMBLE AS HIS SON, JESUS.  I WAS IGNORANT OF THE FACT THAT GOD CAN DO ANYTHING, BUT FAIL.

Perhaps you, too, were raised in the shadow of someone else.  If you have ‘been there and done that’ get over it!  Come to realize that even though you can develop your own personality, only God can develop your character.  I once wrote this line in a prose writing you can revisit in the very first blog I published on WordPress entitled “Mr. Character”. (*)

 “Mr. Character, I salute you for those unselfish efforts you have attempted to perform in the lives of others. You know, you are really like a mirror…that is, you reflect in every mood. Every experience you encounter is automatically revealed.”

Little did I know that when I was addressing “Mr. Character,” I was actually addressing God.  And YES, I jump out of the frying pan into God’s holy skillet!

Scripture Lesson:   Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.  Romans 12:2

(*)  NOTE:   For the complete reading of “Mr. Character” click Archive month of May 2018 to the right of this page. Then scroll down to the article)

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

God Intentionally Designed His World and Its Inhabitants To Be Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

On By tgifmastermindsIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Blog- The Devil Made Me Do It-1839564A strange thing happened to me as I sat down at my computer to begin composing this week’s blog for Conversations With God Using Scripture.  You see, I had been procrastinating all week and had not given any thought or prayer time for choosing a subject.  Actually, I had been basking in the success of my writer’s class I facilitate every first and third Monday of the month here in my apartment building.  The class is growing in number and the seniors who attend always shower me with accolades on my teaching style and informative information that I present.  (I guess I had gotten the big head and my pride overtook me.)  “The Devil Made Me Do It!”

Instantly, as I bowed my head to ask forgiveness for my counterfeit prideful interest in my writing class, a small Voice whispered; My Child, don’t you know that writing is governed by ‘life lines‘ and from the beginning I, and I alone have introduced ‘life lines‘ into my world in every aspect of human life?

What in the world are ‘Life lines’ I asked the wind, so I Googled it!  And thus, this week’s blog was born.  And boy, oh boy, what a powerful lesson the Holy Spirit taught me.  

BAM ALS

Please continue reading and see for yourself

BESIDES GOOGLE, GOD CONVERSED WITH ME USING SCRIPTURE TO LET ME KNOW THAT HE INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED HIS WORLD AND ITS INHABITANTS TO BE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE (Psalm 139:14)

Writing is governed by ‘life lines’.  But it is better known as “The Rule of Three” to artists, storytellers, play writers and comedians to help them develop their plots, scenarios and jokes.  Fundamental rules for developing a story should always have a (1) beginning, (2) middle, and (3) an ending.  Also, scientific research has shown that the human brain processes information masterfully by recognizing patterns of three which is the smallest numbers of elements.

For example, here are the titles of some of the most famous books you may remember from your childhood:  Three Musketeers, Three Blind Mice, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Three Little Pigs.

Now, let’s tie this ‘Rule of Three—Life Line’ to the Bible.  What about the three Wise Men and the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Or the three in one concept of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Or another use of these parings with faith, hope and charity.  Or body, soul and spirit, or the introduction to Genesis: “In the beginning…”, just to name a few.

In the secular world, let’s look at the following examples:

  • Realtors say, Location, location, location…
  • Athletes say, Blood, sweat and tears…
  • Patriots say, Red, White and Blue…
  • Niki says, Just do it!
  • Children recite, One little, two little, three little Indians…
  • Orators say, Friends, Romans, countrymen…
  • Coaches say, One, two, three go….

Studies have also shown that when we operate and govern our lives with the rule of three, instructions are easier to remember then when using four or five and it allows for less confusion even under duress or extreme conditions.

The Rule of Three is sometimes used spontaneously or intentionally in our everyday lives.  Young mothers often use it to control their cantankerous children by threatening:  “I’m going to count to three just one more time…onnnne, tooowww, threeee…(Lot’s of luck with that!)

SOME HINTS WHEN PRESENTING THE GOSPEL…

When presenting the Gospel to the lost, consider paring it down to just three basic Truths:  Love, Honor and Obey.  Hope will spring eternal for your listeners when they hear you say to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength because…He first loved us!  You can also talk about the 27 Books in the New Testament…(that’s 3 to the 3rd power equals 27!)  Choose one of the subjects below to share for lasting memories.

  • Jesus prayed 3 times in the Garden of Gethsemane (You can talk about the lack of support Jesus received from his homeboys.)
  • He was placed on the Cross at the 3rd hour of the day  (You can equate that time with our A.D. time of 9:00 a.m.)
  • He died at the 3rd hour (You can make it plan by saying 3 p.m.)
  • The sun was darkened for 3 hours prior to Jesus’ death on the Cross (That’s an Old Testament prophecy…look it up)
  • Jesus arose from the grave on the 3rd day (He conquered death, hell and the grave…get it…another set of threes)

AND THERE’S MORE…

  • The righteous patriarchs before the flood were 3 men: Abel, Enoch and Noah
  • The righteous patriarchs after the flood were 3 men:  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
  • The special friends of Jesus were: Peter, James and John
  • Jonah was 3 days in the bell of the fish

Well, my friends, what do you think?  Did Jesus or did Jesus not set me straight on the notion that I had anything to brag about.  The Holy Spirit said it was God all along.  He had already done it before the beginning of time.  God had already  set in motion the theory of Biblical numerology in His people and in the world.  None of us can boast about anything.  For if we do, we are robbing God of His majesty and His omnipotent power.

I have learned my Scripture Lesson:  “For there are three that testify:  the Spirit, the water and the blood and the three are in agreement.  We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.”  1 John 5:7-10

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

God Desires His People To Bare Their Souls

On By tgifmastermindsIn Uncategorized7 Comments

Do you agree that sometimes we can become overly concerned with the judgment of other people?  We often burden our hearts with thoughts like, “What will people think?  Will they talk negatively about me behind my back?  Will I sound and look like an idiot if I reveal this experience?

Blog-God Desires His People To Bare Their Souls

God’s opinion is the only one that counts…search the Scriptures for your answer!

The above thoughts used to hinder me from expressing myself at the Wednesday night church prayer meetings earlier in my Christian walk.  But not any more!  The power of the Holy Spirit has manifested Himself inside of me and freed me from being self-conscious about a lot of life’s circumstances.  Those things that had crippled me, negatively impacted me, strengthened me and empowered me in a boastful manner have now molded me into a believer who desires to press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:14)

Perhaps you, too, have felt similarly during the early stages of your Christian journey and maybe you didn’t.  But I would like to bet you were often consumed with thoughts of how others judged you as a godly person.  After all, is it not our innermost intent to be obedient and to become salt and light in the world in order to provoke others’ thoughts and in some cases emotions, to pick up their crosses and to follow Jesus.

Yes, it can be very painful but necessary to bare your soul among fellow believers or total strangers, especially when you realize the solutions to answered prayers could possibly bless them and also to contribute to their faith and growth relationship with our Lord and Savior.  It’s what makes serving God resonate throughout the Christian and unsaved communities. Especially when your personal testimony reveals something deeper, and has an element of vulnerability; a personal and powerful spiritual truth that propelled you to grow immensely in the fear of the Lord and to strengthen your trust in Him.

So, if you want to spread joy and hope to others, consider trusting the Comforter and present yourself a living human sacrifice of praise.  Learn to master the ability to be human–share your mistakes, successes, punishments and victories in Jesus.  Permit me to borrow a quote from Langston Hughes’ poem entitled, “Mother to Son” ….Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor.

Photography of Hand During Sunset
                                                 All is well, for God will provide.

Scripture Lesson:  James 1:2-8  “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.   If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;   he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!