Prayer From Scriptures: For Strength To Carry Out Task

 

Can I take a moment to be transparent with you? Sometimes the tasks that God has put in my hand are difficult. I have days where I wake up motivated and purposed to do the tasks. In contrast, I also have days where I'm not motivated at all. Those are the days like today that I have to press my way through. I know I'm not the only person that experiences this because many authors in the Bible wrote about their lack of strength. Today the Holy Spirit reminded me to pray the scriptures when I'm weak because in my weakness God makes me strong. As I begin to write the prayer the Holy Spirit was giving me verse after verse to pray. I didn't have to look them up as I had planned. God is Awesome!!!! He is always with us. I would like to share the prayer that God gave me with you for your times when you feel weak. 

Lord my desire is to please you with my body, my speech, my character and my deeds.

Everyday I open my eyes, my first thought is the tasks you have given me,

 but Lord sometimes my motivation is lacking and I feel defeated. 

I know this is a trick of the Enemy, You said that Your Grace is Sufficient for me 

and Your Strength is made perfect in my weakness. Therefore when I'm 

weak then I am strong. Lord you are my Strength and my Shield. 

My heart will trust in you because I know that you are my help. 

Therefore I will rejoice and not be downcast. 

I will give thanks unto you God for you are the Strength of your

people and a stronghold of Salvation for your anointed. 

Lord you predestined me with all the pages of my life written before I was born. 

You ordained my life before I ever took one breath. 

You called me to serve you with all my love, heart, soul, mind, and Strength. 

This Lord is your first commandment.

God therefore I know that if I obey this you will be my Strength and help in the time of need. 

You Lord alone have declared me the righteousness of God through my faith in you. 

There is no distinction, God you have no respect of persons but you love us all. 

For I am your workmanship God, created in Christ Jesus unto

good works which you have ordained that I should walk in them.

God you have loved me with an Everlasting Love and drawn me with loving devotion. 

Therefore God I will stand in your strength.

The Joy from you will be my Strength. I am able to do all things 

through your son Jesus Christ and I know if you are for me, 

nothing and no one can be against me. 

For nothing can separate me from the Love of Christ. 

No trouble, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or weapon can take your love from me. 

God I am your daughter and you are my God. 

I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in me will bring it to completion. 

Lord, I will rest in you, knowing that you are always with me. 

Whether I feel strong or weak. 

Thank you Lord for your calling on my life.

I will fulfill my destiny in your son Jesus name through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Amen. 

Scriptures Used in This Prayer

Hosea 1:10, Philippians 1:6, 4:13, Romans 3:22, Ephesians 2:10, Nehemiah 8:10, Jeremiah 31:3, Mark 12:30, Romans 8: 30-35, 2Corinthians  12:9-10, Psalms 139:16 and Psalms 28:7-8

On your study time you can read these scriptures to strengthen your prayer life. You will be able to see the strength God gave to his people in the Bible.

Leave a comment if this prayer helps you :)

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: A Woman After God's Heart

 Let me begin by saying "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" is a quote believed to be coined by John Wesley in one of his sermons. This is not a scripture but cleanliness is apart of Godly living physically and spiritually. God created male and female with purpose. He predestined male to be a certain way and he predestined female to be a certain way. Whether male or female our character as a believer should always line up with God's moral code for our lives. In today's society women are devalued not only by men but by themselves. The women role models that young girls have to look up to are half dressed, untamed, have vulgar speech, drunk, etc. We very seldom see women showcased in a modest way. Young girls are taught that they don't need to cover their bodies. To cover your body is considered low confidence when it's actually respect for your body. Young girls are not taught how to be wives, in fact most females in public view promote sex, fornication, sexual liberty, gender neutrality, profanity, and rebellion. I see so many young ladies that don't know how to keep a clean home and take care of their children. They are on social media while the day is passing them by. Many women profess to have anxiety, depression and low self esteem because they are a mother or wife. The two things that are suppose to be a joyful time (for the most part) are the very stimuli to the woman's downfall. Why? Is this of God? If not, then who? In this article I will go to scripture and show you what God sees as precious in a woman. It is definitely not what the world is pushing as feminine. 

Titus 2:3-5 Godly Moral Code for Women

The 2nd book of Titus lays out how God's children should be. For the sake of this article, we will focus on the woman. Titus 2:3-5, 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. I've highlighted the attributes that a Godly woman should have according to scripture. The scripture begins with telling older women how they should be first. The scripture begins here because in the body of Christ we should be living examples for others to follow. If the older women are living in a Godly way then the young ladies have good role models to look up to. The first command is reverent in behavior (becometh). This means that your character is suitable in being God's child. This means that you have integrity, meekness, kind, loving, etc. As a age woman you should be showing fruits of God's spirit. Many aged women are following the social scene just like the young ones. In contrast, the women that are not following the trends are gossiping about the way young women are instead of teaching them. This brings me to the next command. Aged women should not be slanderers. A slanderer tarnishes a persons character usually by spreading lies about them or telling all their bad choices and mistakes. They give others a bad view of a person before they even meet them. This should not be. We should be praying for young women. Laying their problems before God and leaving it there. Older women also should not be a drinker of much wine. Wine in itself isn't bad if drunk in small amounts but access will cause you to have bad character. Also the scripture tells us that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God. Older women are to teach good morals to young women, how to love their husbands and their children. Young women are to be taught how to be self controlled, pure, home makers, kind and submissive to their own husbands. When we follow God's ways his daughters won't be spoken evil of nor his Word.

Discreet (Self Controlled)/ Chaste (Pure)

On the left we have a picture of Cardi B who is a well known rapper and two women getting into an altercation on a show "The Bad Girls Club" where they pretty much just get drunk, fight and have sex with each other and men. This is what our young girls are looking at. I teach 5th grade and many of the girls try to mimic this behavior. This is what our young girls see constantly. They listen to the vulgar music with their parents and watch these shows with their parents. This should not be. We are to teach our young ladies how to be discreet. In the Strong's concordance this word means Self Controlled and of a sound mind. It means your inner outlook that regulates outward behavior. Being discreet is God's definition of being a balanced woman which mean you are being led by God and not yourself. Next we have the word chaste which means pure, uncontaminated and undefiled by sin. Chaste means you are in a condition prepared to worship God. Sin separates us from God. God isn't in the mist of unholy acts of violence, fornication, drunkards, etc. We must repent to bring ourselves back into alignment with God when we are living in this manner. Our clothes should not show our private parts. Those parts are for your husband to see. If you are a woman dressing in a sexual way that reveals your body begin to look for clothes that are nice but concealed. You will begin to get attention from different men, not just ones that want to dishonor your body. When men see half dressed women the first thought is sex. For this reason guys are not committed to you. You didn't leave anything to the imagination. You gave him all of you without getting none of him but his private parts. When a man is looking for a mate/wife, he doesn't want everyone seeing what he has. He also doesn't want a woman who is always ready to argue and fight. This turns a man off quickly. He is looking at the up keep of your home. If you have children already, he is looking at how well you raise them. Remember mean look at the outward appearance first. If those things are lacking he will never get to know your heart. 

Homemaker 

Homemaker means a keeper of the home. Women should be good at taking care of household affairs. Up top you have two pictures: a dirty house and a clean house. Which house would you rather be at. I'm sure you chose the clean one. This is the same for a man. A man doesn't want to come visit you at a dirty house (while dating) or come home to dirty house (marriage). I know for my husband he is so happy when he comes home to a clean home. He loves cleanliness. Now don't get me wrong the hubby and the kids can help out too, but you should be leading the example. I remember thinking in my early years of marriage "I'm not a maid" and the Holy Spirit told me in so many words "Yes you are". Hold on before you get upset, let's look at what a maid does. A maid cleans the house, cooks food and sometimes looks after the kids. This is the duties of the woman. When you hire maids, you hire them to do your job as the woman because you feel you don't have time. I've been married 21 years and I'm still reminded by God from time to time when I'm slipping in this area. I know I'm speaking of a husband, but remember these are traits we should have as women before we are married and after. 

Loving Your Children

  Disclaimer: Not race related, just two pictures I found. Scripture says A wise woman builds her house but a foolish one pulls it down with her own hands Proverbs 14.1.  In the picture above you see two children who are not being well kept. In contrast, the other picture shows two well kept children who are also being taught how to keep the house clean. Building a home takes wisdom from God. This is why it's so important to seek God about every decision you make. We may think something is good that will totally destroy our home. I know there are many single moms out there. I was one before I met my husband. This takes strength because you have children that can only depend on you for the most part. It is important to teach them hygiene every morning: Washing their body, brushing there teeth, putting on clean clothes and breakfast. The one thing children shouldn't live without is Structure. Remember you are raising little people who will become adults. What kind of adults are you teaching them to be. Children should not go to bed dirty. They should have a bedtime routine: Shower/bath, put on clean pajamas, make sure all toys are put away and say bedtime prayers. This is just an example of structure. You choose what structure works for you but it has to be structure. Structure is like the law in your city. People will be doing everything if we didn't have law. The law dictates how our city should run. This is the same for your home. You are the law giver and the children are the law keepers. Children will do any and everything without structure. Your house will be a war zone. Toys will be everywhere, bedrooms a disaster, food in couches, under couches, dirty clothes everywhere, etc. You get the picture. As a mom you have to put routines in place for children to follow. This is loving your children. This also takes a huge load of you. As a single mom you also have to keep the bills paid. This mean you have to work and sometimes go without for your children. They come first always. You take good care of God's children and he will take care of you mom. When you feel alone remember God is always there. 

In Conclusion, 

 God called women 

to be modest, pure, good homemakers, loving to their children and husbands, and examples for other women to follow. It is not of God for you to be depressed and over taken by anxiety. In Jesus we have peace. The world feeds us all these feminist movements that are not of God. I don't know about you but I want to be the woman God predestined me to be. I want to give my children good qualities and morals. Cleanliness is Godliness. We can see that in scripture. We should keep our homes clean. We should keep our reputations clean. We should keep ourselves clean physically and spiritually. We can only be who God called us to be by drawing near to him. Our identity lies in Christ. If we don't know God through Christ Jesus, we will never know our authentic self (true self). All these other claims of self awareness and true self courses are false. Without Christ we can never know our destiny. Begin to ask God his Will for your life. Begin to incorporate Bible reading and prayer with your children. Build your house woman of God, don't be foolish and tear it down with your bare hands. Be blessed. 

Please leave a comment if this article helped you or if you have any questions. 


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

 

The Two Laws: The Struggle Within

Imagine you're at the mall to buy new clothes because you've lost 50 lbs. You was a person who loved sweets. You had to have them after ever meal and for every celebration. The changing point for you was when you went in for a check-up and found that you were pre-diabetic and obese according to the size chart for your age. Therefore after consulting God, you made a conscious decision to leave sweets alone and change your eating habits with food. Now you have reaped the benefits of your labor. The weight melted away and your numbers are now at good levels. You're walking through the mall and a smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies alert your senses. You imagine that they're gooey with warm milk chocolate. You turn to the direction of the smell. Now you are battling. Do I go get some cookies or do I keep going so I don't disrupt my progress? Your flesh is saying "GO GET THE COOKIES!" and your spirit is saying "God didn't bring you this far for you throw it away for cookies. You know how hard it's going to be if you open that door." The flesh says "Two cookies won't hurt you." Next thing you know, you're at counter buying five cookies instead of two and a bottle of cold milk. What just happened? Well Paul tells us about the war between our flesh and spirt. He explains how much of a struggle it is to do the right thing without Jesus Christ. Turn to Romans 7:18-25. 

The Struggle Within

 

Romans 7: 18-25 Paul explains in this block of scripture the battle of good and evil. He says he wants to do right but he can't in his sinful nature. He wants to make the right decisions that God would be pleased with but he continues to make the opposite choice. You can see his frustration through scripture when he says " Oh what a miserable person I am!" Paul is showing us that he totally understands the fight to do good but you keep doing bad. We all go through this from time to time. In the story above it was cookies, for you it may be sexual immorality, alcoholism, bad parenting, etc. You ever heard the saying "The devil made me do it" Through the sin that satan caused to come in this world through trickery we now have a war to fight daily. Paul speaks of two laws: The law of God and the law of sin working in his body. He wants to please God but he continues to succumb to sin. As you read this block of scripture you can almost become discouraged. You may begin to think what's the point of trying to do right if I'm just going to keep failing. DON'T GIVE UP! Paul has a answer that will not only stop you from continuously failing but make you victorious in living a life for God.

The Old Man

Remember in verse 18 Paul said that nothing good dwells within his body. I want you to understand first that Paul isn't saying our body is inherently evil and it will do nothing but bad. What he is saying is that because we were tainted with sin and in bondage to it we have been using our body for our sinful lusts. Our body in itself isn't evil, God made our bodies and said that it was good. He also made us in his image and likeness. Nevertheless, our bodies are on a collision course for death in eternity due to sin. The Bible tells us the wages of sin is death. The way sin works is first through the mind as temptation of something we lust (desire) for. Then we are lured by it to commit sin. Once sin is committed it produces death. Glory be to God he gave us a way of escape from this vicious cycle of sin, JESUS CHRIST. Because we were tainted with sin we must be born again without bondage to sin and that's where Jesus come in. When we accept Jesus and believe that he is the son of the living God and died and rose again on the third day we become saved. The old man has been crucified with Christ but nevertheless we live in our new nature. When we are born again we become free from sin. We are no longer on the collision course to Hell. We now have victory over sin and when we are tempted we have the power of the Holy Spirit to resist the devil and his evil schemes. We no longer have to do the wrong thing when we want to do right. We can now do right through Jesus Christ saving grace. 

The New Man

Now that we are born again we can walk in the newness of life. We often forget this luxury. Many have become so comfortable in sin they think they can"t fight it (they're right) but you don't have to, Jesus has done that work for us. Now it's time to walk in our new nature. One strategy against sin is to make a goal to please God with your body. James tells us in Chapter four a few strategies we can use to walk in our new nature.  

• Submit yourself to God
• Resist the Devil and he will flee
• Draw near to God and he will draw near to you
• Wash your hands of sin and Purify your heart (so that your loyalty won't be divided between the world and God)
• Repent of your sin and show sorrow for it

When we follow this list God will lift us up. He will strengthen us against sin. We must crucify the flesh daily. Paul tells us in  Galatians 5 chapter that we must live by the Holy Spirit. We must learn to keep our flesh under subjection of the spirit. Be aware of the power you have over your old nature through Jesus. If you don't reject the old man and it's practices you will continue to stay captivated by sin. We do not become robots programmed to do right but we become empowered to do right. We must do the work by making a conscious decision to choose God and his commandments. Not by our works that anyone can boast but by the Grace given to us by God through Christ. Now go and be VICTORIOUS!

Scriptures in this blog came from the NLT and the ESV versions for better clarity. If you have any questions please leave them in the comment section. 

We Look Like God, We Were Created In His Image

If you're like most, there is something about you that you don't or didn't like. It could've been the way you stand, the way you look, or how much of a push over you are. There are countless things people look at about themselves that they dislike. I know for me, I hated my name growing up. "Willie Bailey!, Here." (as I raised my hand) this was the first day of school every year. Most of the students were the same from the previous year but I still felt so embarrassed. On top of that, there was a boy in my class named Willie from Kdg - 8th grade. I wondered all the time why couldn't my mother have given me a girls name. Then there was a scar on my forehead that I hated. I always tried to cover it with my hair. Now I don't even know why I made such a big deal about it. We all have things about us that we don't like. For the most part we are looking at outward appearances. Many of us feel unloved, unwanted and unvalued, but did you know that God took great thought in creating you and I? God looked at you and said she/he is good. "This is my prized possession." thought God. He gave you and I certain giftings that are specific to our make up. He thought about what kind of destiny he wanted for each one of us. God created so many beautiful things. When I look at creation I'm amazed at his magnificent creativity. Nevertheless, out of all his creations, it was mankind that God said "let us make man in our image, after our likeness". 

What Does It Mean To Be Made In God's Image?

There is one God, but he is three persons. 1John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. In this manner mankind is made like God. We are a spirit in a body that possess a soul. In Genesis 2 the Bible says God made Adam out of the dust of the earth. This was when he formed his body cavity. Then he breathed the breath of life into Adam and he became a living soul. That breath was God breathing his spirit into Adam. When Adam took a breath and became aware his soul quickened. Our soul is our awareness (mind, will, emotions and intellect). God has a soul. he has feelings, a Will (his Will is perfect), intellect and emotions. Now let's keep it real we will never be on his level of intellect but he did make us like him in this manner. We are the only creation that God gave Free Will to. We are also a spirit being like the second person in the Godhead, the Holy Spirit (which is God's Spirit). This is how we connect with God through our Spirit man. God told us in John the 24th chapter that we must worship God with our spirit because he is spirit. We have a body like Jesus has a body. Jesus is the word of God in flesh. I know it's hard to understand for some but when God reveal it to you, you will be amazed 😍 We also was made in the righteousness of God. We were made with God's character. This is why he wants us to portray the fruits of his spirit. Before sin entered the world and marred our true identity mankind was Holy like God. This is why it is very important for us to Repent and be reborn through the Holy Spirit. We put away our sinful nature when we are reborn and are reinstated with our intended nature. It is a new nature for us because when we entered our mothers womb we were marred with sin. Remember before we enter our mothers womb God knows us Psalms 139 which means we were fearfully and wonderfully made without blemish. King David was in awe of God's love for us. In Psalms 8 he asked "who is man that you are mindful of him?". I believe God's reply was because you are my workmanship. You are my prized possession. For you my son, I will send my son to earth to die in order to redeem you back to me. This is the love God has for you and I, even in our mess he love us. 

In Conclusion

Always remember that you were created in the image of the Most High God. The God that created the heavens and earth took time to make you in his image. He loves you with an everlasting love. His hearts desire is for your soul to be saved and to have a relationship with you. Your purpose lies in Christ. What this means is that until you're reborn through Christ Jesus you will never know your true God given destiny. There is a wall between you and God when you haven't confessed Jesus. Jesus is the only way to God. Eternal life comes to those that believe that God sent Jesus to die for our sins and that he rose on the third day with all power in his hands. Everything must flee when Jesus is on the scene because all things are subject to his power. God is waiting to deliver you so that you can walk in your true identity. Be blessed🙏

Please leave a comment if you liked this blog or have questions. If you want more topics like this drop it in the comments. 

What Is The Soul? What Does It Have To Do With My Mind?

When I tell you this was the hardest subject for me to learn. I don't know if it was because years later I would be called to study it and explain it to others or I just couldn't get it :) God has been showing me the importance of the mind for some time now. I have watched countless videos and looked up all scriptures pertaining to the mind. God is constantly giving me a subject and showing me how it ties to the mind. Well ladies and gentleman the reason why God keeps bringing me back to the mind is because that is our Soul. Even in typing this blog right now God is giving me revelation of this subject. He is Awesome!!! Now back to the mind. Everything that we do begins in the mind/soul. Let's go to scripture to give you more understanding. Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Adam's body was made of dust. This is our physical appearance that everyone knows us by (the Body). When God breathe into Adam, he put his spirit into Adam. The spirit man is who Adam really was, not the dust. The dust was just a cavity to hold the spirit and soul.  Then Adam began to inhale & exhale. His heart began beating. The blood pressure was regulated and he became (Aware) a living Soul. Our consciousness, awareness is our soul. The brain center was turned on. See we are a Spirit being (invisible) with a soul (consciousness) that lives in a body (physical representation on earth). 

The Soul (Mind) 

The Soul is our Mind, Will and Emotions. It is the center between the body( flesh) and the spirit (real you). Our soul receives information through our senses from the flesh. Our senses are taste, touch, smell, sound and sight. Once this information goes from the senses to the soul we make a decision. This chicken tastes good. The sun is really bright today. That music is too loud. This tree feels rough. The smell of Lavender is soothing. Those were examples of sensory decisions. It goes a lot deeper than this like what different chemicals in the brain do like dopamine. I will touch on that in a later blog. For now let's keep to the basics. These sensory decisions are made in a matter of seconds. Then through your emotions towards what you've experienced through the body, you will make a choice. That choice is your Will. This is how our soul works. Your soul is affected by the body and your spirit is affected by the soul. The body is worldly (carnal) and our Spirit man wants to please God, for our spirit comes from him. The two battle daily and it's with our Soul that we make the decision as to who wins, namely our Will. 

The Brain (Physical mind)

Let's look at it from a scientific biological point of view. First let me say it is fine to talk about God and Science at the same time. According to sciencecouncil.org Science is "the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence." Shorter definition (my words) The created is trying to figure out the Creator (God). That's all science is in my opinion. Now, let's talk about the brain. The brain is the physical representation of the invisible conscious. If the physical part of us is out of whack, the spiritual is having a issue also. I will explain more of that at a later time. For now, notice how there is a physical representation for all spiritual things. From the Science point of view, the brain is responsible for most of all the body's functions that are essential to life (www.nhs.org). These functions include but are not limited to

• Breathing
• Thought
• Memory
• Emotion
• Heartbeat
• Motor Skills
• Blood Pressure
• All processes that regulates the body

There is a term in the medical field called: Brain Dead. To be clinically brain dead a person is put on artificial life support ( artificial Breath). During this time doctors are trying to recreate the breath of life from God. Nevertheless, the person no longer has any brain function. This means they will never be aware (conscious) again. A person who is brain dead is legally confirmed dead. The spirit and soul (invisible) has left the (physical) body at this time. Why is this important? Remember I said the created is trying to figure out the Creator. They have figured out that we are not our body. If the brain dies, nothing in the body can work because the body needs the soul to instruct it on what to do. 

In Conclusion

So you see the soul has everything to do with the mind. The brain is the physical manifestation of the mind/soul. We can't see our soul but the brain is visible/physical. Isn't God Awesome!!! Your body is the physical representation of your soul and spirit. The real you is a spirit being which is who we worship our Heavenly Father with through his Holy Spirit. John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Isn't God Amazing in his creativity. Scientists are learning something new all the time about how the mind works. Guess What?! The created will never figure out the Creator for his thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways his ways says the Almighty God, As the heavens are higher than the earth, so is his ways from us Isaiah 55:8,9.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments:)

 

Mental Hygiene: The Mind of the Matter

 

"The mind is hungry. The mind wants to be good, we get so many negative thoughts in our mind, it's almost overwhelming to be positive." Mike Tyson

    Before I begin, this article isn't about mental illness or disorders. This article is about how to keep a healthy mind in an evil world as a believer and why it is important.  I recently watched an interview with Mike Tyson and this quote stuck out to me when he said this. We are bombarded with hundreds, maybe even thousands of thoughts and messages within a days span. We are over loading on messages from social media: Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Then the news media is sending messages of what's going on in the world around us. Then we have our family, friends, coworkers, etc. Then we have ourselves to deal with as our own thoughts begin to flow. Our mind is processing so much on a daily basis. What's even worse is that most of what we process is negative or unrighteous. This brings me back to Mike Tyson's quote. It's almost as if negativity and wickedness is the new "normal" and to live a Godly life is almost impossible. This is where Mental Hygiene plays very important role in keeping our mind healthy and clean.

The Mind: The Center of the Soul

The mind is very complex. This is our soul center where our mind, Will and emotions function. Our soul is who we are and this is the part of us that God sent his son to save. This is also the part of us that the adversary wants to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).  Our soul receives information through our body from our senses: Touch, Taste, Sight, Hearing and Smell. Through our mind is where we make decisions through using our Will. The Will is very powerful because it gives us the ability to choose right or wrong. What comes through our senses through our body is what influences those decisions. I believe this is why God wanted to guard us in the Garden of Eden. God wasn't deceiving Adam and Eve, he was protecting them from evil/bad/wrong. If all that comes in through your senses is good, you don't have to protect your mind/soul because no negativity is coming through. Nevertheless, once mankind was deceived the Spiritual Warfare began. Now we have to fight to keep our mind/soul pure because negativity and wickedness is at an all time high and we must stay on guard. The Bible tells us in 1Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant (watchful). Then Peter goes on to us why it's important to be clear minded and watchful. Peter says our adversary the devil is like a roaring lion that walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Lions actually don't go for the strong, they look for the weak, alone and sick animals. They look for those that are not alert and easy to take down. These are the instructions that the kingdom of darkness has been given to take us down if possible. How do we keep that from happening?

Godly Mental Hygiene

Great News!!! God has given us all the tools we need to keep our mind/soul from being corrupt by the wickedness in this world :) Now listen even though God has given us the tools, we must be mindful to use them. Paul tells us to not conform to the world systems but allow God to renew our mind to be changed into who God made us to be. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God . Conformed in the Greek means to assume a certain form or figure. To conform your mind and character to another pattern. Social Media is telling us who we should be, but this is not who God said we should be. Millions are struggling with their identity because of what they allow to go through their eye and ear gates. Now they are confused because they know they should do one thing but social media says different. Not only that but it seems that everyone agrees with it and that's where the struggle comes in at. Do Not change to what the world says is right because it's not. Always search the Word/Holy Scriptures to see what God says. Remember our mind is where decisions are made. This is why it is vital that we allow God to continuously renew our mind through sanctification of his Word and through Prayer. We can't walk in God's Will if our mind is aligned with the world's Will. Transform in this scripture means change of moral character for the better. To change after being with God. This renewal is only achieved by God's power. God does a complete change in us when we turn to him through his son Jesus Christ. 

Mental Self Care

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

God tells us what type of things to keep our mind on. Below is some changes you can make to so some mental Spring Cleaning :)

• First and Foremost, Repent(turn from the world's systems and evil desires and look to God and choose him)
• If you have not already done so, get baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit
• Read your Bible daily. If possible in the morning and before bed.
• Pray daily: Whenever God crosses your mind talk to him
• Choose television programming wisely
• Unplug from all Social Media at least twice a week to give your mind a break
• Make better choices when following people on Social Media. 
• Most music is filled with sex, drugs, demonic messages and murder, so filter the music you listen to
• Do not forsake the assembly of the believers. It is strength in numbers. Filter the people you talk to on a daily basis. It is important to converse with like minded people.
• Be sober/clear minded. Stay away from intoxication and mind altering drugs unless prescribed by a physician.

In Conclusion,

It's difficult sometimes as a believer living in an evil world. When we see all the madness that is happening it can be discouraging at times. Let's be honest, we are human and we have emotions. God knows this. He created us to care about the world like he does, but we can't get entangled in it. We can't follow what everyone else is doing. We must stand out and be different because we are different. If we follow the instructions of the Bible our mind will stay in a spiritually healthy state. Isaiah 26:3 thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is                                                                                    stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

The Future of Our Children is in Danger: Steps to Secure Them

I've noticed in the past recent weeks while watching movies with my 5th grade students that they're sending messages that we may not want our children to receive. In times pass I wouldn't worry about children shows and movies because they were mostly innocent? I know some subtleties were in them but not to the degree it is now. Lately, I've seen so many programs and movements that are targeting our children. I want to remind you before I go further that our fight isn't with flesh and blood. Flesh and blood is being used in the physical but the spiritual realm of darkness is behind it pulling the strings. Our fight is with principalities and powers in high(cosmos) places. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Children are very impressionable. They are easily led in the wrong direction because they are still learning. They are like little sponges soaking up all the information they receive from all sources. Children are not usually able to decipher when wrong messages or information is being given to them. When they trust you, they willingly accept what is being said or done. Molesters know this all too well about children and that's why they target them. Likewise, with games, television programming, Children movies (Disney, Pixar), and series are all taking advantage of the openness of our children. The worst part though is that most parents are allowing it to happen.

We are in a digital society. This is an IPad and Tablet generation. Our children are on Tik Tok, You Tube, Roblox, Instagram and Snapchat all day without supervision. Even the parents are on social media all day. Parents are allowing social media to raise their children. There are less parents everyday that check what their kid is watching and even worse who they're talking to on these forums. Look at the children in the photo above, they are outside on a beautiful day. Each child is glued to the screen of a phone when they should be playing. In addition, no adult supervision is around to see what they are doing on these phones. Let's step inside my 5th grade class. I have one girl that has watched 17 seasons of Bad Girls Club that is filled with with cursing, sex, drinking and fighting. This is why the show is famous because women are making a fool of themselves with no morals or dignity. My student who is 11 has begun to mimic what she watches and I had to talk with her about it. Two of my young ladies had Twerk pages on Instagram. I know this because my students tell me things. They give me the "Tea":) Another one of my girls had a Hip Rolling Page but she has since taken it down. My students are in group chats daily. Some students have fight pages on Instagram and Tik Tok, so they start fights so they can record and upload them. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Guess what? The parents never knew anything about it because they don't check. Did you know that God holds us responsible for our gifts that he has blessed us with? Children are very dear to God's heart. For this reason he told us exactly how to raise our children.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.  For Believers, we often get discouraged when we see our children back sliding, living contrary to the way we taught them because we didn't notice "when he/she is old" This means our children will do foolish things because of their youth sometimes, it will even often look grimm but we can rest in knowing that they will eventually as they grow older revert back to the way they were trained/dedicated. The word train in Hebrew means dedicate. Dedicate means devote (time, effort, or yourself) to a particular task or purpose. This means when we are raising our children we are teaching them to devote themselves to either righteousness or wickedness. Remember the laws of the earth goes both ways. As parents we can either train them to follow wickedness or righteousness. What are you dedicating your child to? What purpose are you teaching your child to have in life? Or better yet, what is your purpose as a parent? These are serious questions we must ask ourselves as parents. The way we start our children out is the way they can end up being. What kind of citizen are you training? Are you teaching them Godly principals to live their life by? Do they even know of God and his son Jesus? Do they know anything about righteous living through your teaching verbally and in your actions? (Or) Are you teaching them to drink alcohol, smoke weed, chaos (no structure), have multiple sex partners, deal with the occult, argue, fight all the time, curse, laziness, procrastination, unhealthy eating habits, slumber, uncleanliness, bad hygiene, etc. Many wonder why their children are out of order, it's simply what you are devoting them to. You should be in control of what they are trained in, not them. Some of our children are dealing with how we trained them, family curses and a world filled with darkness without God in their lives. How can anything other than chaos (out of order) be expected of them. If you are training your child in an ungodly way, ask God to forgive you of your sins. Ask him to lead and guide you on how to train your child in his standards. Turn from the world mom/dad and turn towards God first, then begin to train/devote your child to Godly morals and values. Then watch as you begin to see a change in your child as God begin to create a new creature in you and them through repentance and being born again in through Christ.

Call To Action

Finally, remember that God's Word is extremely important when pursuing a life of righteousness. In Deuteronomy 11:19 God tells Israel to tell their children about the ways of God always...Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. We can't just sit our children in front of devices and leave them. We must take control back and evaluate what our children our learning. Parents, please think about what you want your child to become. Ask God what his intended purpose is for your children and raise them in light of that. Stop allowing media to indoctrinate your children to think about sex before they even know what it is. Stop allowing programs to teach your children witchcraft, murder and sorcery. Listen to the music they are listening to. Look up the lyrics to see what is going in your child. Spiritual Warfare is real. Don't have your child on the battlefield naked without a covering from you and also their own armor through learning the ways of God. Parents lets secure our children before it's too late. Be Blessed