He Stooped So Low

 Philippians 2:7-11 (amp)

But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, And every tongue frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus’ destiny did not look pretty from a natural stand point but He completed the course nonetheless. Obedience is the act or practice of following instructions, complying with rules or regulations, or submitting to somebody's authority. Jesus’ obedience to God the Father resulted in death, but His death brought life to many people through the power of His resurrection. 

Let us take His example and live our lives in full obedience to the will of the Father and enjoy the benefits of resurrection power!

 Martha and Mary actualized the benefits of true believing, and saw their brother Lazarus raised from the dead by Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God!

 John 11:21-27

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? I pray that you do, because He is the only Messiah, the only Savior, the only Healer, the only Redeemer, the only resurrected Christ, the Son of the living God!! Praise Him today for His love and sacrifice for you. Receive that His love and let it heal, deliver and set you free! 

Jesus was raised from the dead on the 3rd day by the power of the Holy Spirit so that whosoever believes in Him could receive eternal life.

He stooped so low so that we could be raised so high!! 

In Christ Love

Sister Cathy

Visit our website www.harrisministriesint.com, www.detoxifyingthesoul.com www.nurturingnuggets.net, www.themarriagemanual.net, www.beyondyourweight.com, and www.fellasofgod.com

Be Cautious of What You Are Hearing

Luke 9:44 Jesus said: " Let these sayings sink down into your ears...

 Are you listening? 

God has many things to say to you. 

The words that God speak are what we live by. Man was created by God and designed to live by every word that proceeds out of His mouth. His words are vital to our very existence. Jesus said let these sayings sink down, inferring there can be a shallow form of hearing. We hear but don't hear, we hear and don't understand what we hear and the words just become mere casual conversation. 

We must put a greater value on the words that God speak than any other words spoken to us, regardless at whatever time in our life they were spoken, no matter who else it was that said it. God's word is spirit and it is life. It is not just something we can casually choose to ignore, without experiencing grave consequences. 

If God said His word is life to me and health to all my flesh, and that it is the very substance of my life, then for me to not partake of it would mean death and destruction. Oh yes, it's that important. Jesus said let these words, meaning we can control how deep the Word penetrates our life. We can stop it's progress when we don't honor it, esteeming other things and words over it. When we place more importance on what somebody else is saying. 

Proper spiritual growth and development depends on what takes root in your life. The sayings that sink down deep are the ones we allow to guide and influence our everyday life. Critical decisions that we make daily, decisions that not only effect our lives but the lives of others, are all based on the things that we have allowed to sink down deep in our hearing. Be more selective and protective of the words you allow to go to the deeper parts of your being.

And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure (of thought and study) you give (to the truth you hear) will be the measure (of virtue and knowledge) that comes back to you and more (besides) will be given to you who hear. Mark 4:24 (AMP)

Power Outage!

 In the natural world it is very easy for a power outage to occur, a little wind, thunder and lightening and BAM your lights blink. Suddenly, the power connection that once supplied your house is broken and your lights and appliances are off. There are times in life when man's natural equipment doesn't seem to compare or match up with natures fury. The natural power we depend on from day to day is often fragile and limited in it's ability to perform 100% all the time. 

However, there is a power that is greater and far more superior, trustworthy, and dependable for our every need than any other power. The power that I am speaking of is THE POWER OF ALMIGHTY GOD!

In the life of a born again believer, storms both spiritual and natural provide a wonderful opportunity for God to display His awesome power. There is a power that will never fail us or leave us in the dark. We can live life power outage free! The power of God is available to us 24/7 and it is free of charge. The only thing you need is faith in God. The scriptures declare, Jesus said, ... if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23). Also in the following scripture declares; But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)

Jesus dominated spiritual and physical storms.

 Mark 4:38-40, "And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"

WOW! No power outage in this encounter with Jesus, just a full manifestation of dunamis! Jesus is providing us with a real time example of how we should live our lives in every opposing situation and circumstance.

God wants us to look just like Him in every situation of life, even during a storm. God has fully supplied every born again believer with power to be a witness. We are witnesses of Christ when we dominate storms. We are witnesses of Christ when we cast out devils and lay hands on the sick and see them recover.

Power outages happen in the lives of those who are lukewarm (Revelations 3:16). Power outages happen for those who do not believe and/or trust in God, which equates to living by faith (Galatians 3:11). Power outages happen when we neglect reading the word of God and fellow-shipping with Him (John 8:31-32). Power outages happen when we stay more in tune with the world  as opposed to, praying and being sensitive to God's Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Power outages happen when we live in the flesh and not in the spirit, (Galatians 5:16).

The scriptures gives proof /evidence that God did not leave us here in the earth without power. According to;

Luke 10:18-20 (AMP)
And He said to them, I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven. Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are enrolled in heaven.

It's time to rise up, child of God, and use this awesome power. Don't let the lightening strike your tower. There is a great demand in this hour. Stay awake and alert, be on your watch, don't let the lights go out on your in your house!

Visit our websites: www.harrisministriesint.com, www.detoxifyingthesoul.com www.nurturingnuggets.net, www.themarriagemanual.net, www.beyondyourweight.com, and www.fellasofgod.c

Follow Through

 

Nurturing Nuggets Inspirational Blog by Sister Cathy

Harris Ministries International (HMI)

 

Today’s Blog: Follow Through

Proverbs 15:4
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. 

Integrity defined
• The quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.

Boundaries are established through integrity.
If a person’s word is no good then the boundaries and standards, they set up in their lives will always be compromised. Sometimes we fail to see the long-term problems that come with not keeping our word even to ourselves. We tell ourselves we are not going to do such and such or that we are not going to go here or there and before the sun sets, we have compromised or faltered on what we have spoken. We reason that it is okay because it was a personal promise and did not involve anyone else. However, little do we realize we are establishing patterns of mistrust and lying in our minds, which deceive our own hearts and minds as well as others around us.

Christian's should be people with integrity; we must learn through training and practical application, to keep our word regardless of who the word was spoken to. Of course, there will be times when you said something or promised to do something and for whatever reason, you had to postpone or apologize for not being able to do what you said. This, however, is not an excuse for shabby, lackadaisical living.

The scripture above states that we should be willing to keep our word even if it hurts. Temporary inconveniences are a small thing compared to the consequences of a broken promise. When we lightly esteem our own words, we devalue the importance of our words; thereby, opening the door to deception.

Words are very important. We must remember the power of life and death is in our words. Let us all endeavor to come up a little higher in our integrity by keeping our word even if it is to our own hurt.

If you don’t plan on doing it.... then don’t say it.

God Does Not See as Man Sees

 

1 Samuel 16:7

 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

 Speak to the spirit of a man, Life, and he will rise to his place of kingship and priesthood. See a man after the flesh (natural man), and you become an accomplice to his downfall and destruction.

Samuel was a prophet who was called and anointed by God to speak for Him. Prophets in that day and time were called seers, meaning they knew things about the future that most people did not know. The prophets that were lead of God knew what they knew because God would reveal it to them. They were not demon influenced like the soothsayers, clairvoyants, fortune-tellers, and psychic.

 God had sent Samuel on an assignment for Him to anoint the next king of Israel, who was to be David, one of the sons of Jesse. Now, Samuel went forth and began doing what the Lord instructed him to do. He was in the right place, at the right moment and all was in line with God’s command. Now for whatever reason Samuel decided to second guess God, as if he knew God’s thoughts better than he really did. Samuel veered from the path of being led by God with one single sense lead thought. He judged God’s instruction after the flesh. He allowed his natural eyesight and human prejudices to influence his judgment. He was probably basing his decision on cultural influences and traditions, which would have probably been permissible if this were not kingdom business? God’s kingdom does not operate like natural earthly kingdoms; God’s kingdom is God ruled no if’s ands or buts’ about it. God makes all the decisions, rules, standards, and choices in His kingdom, that settles it.

We must never assume we know what God is going to say next, we must learn to wait on the Lord and lean not to our own understanding. Samuel could have made a tragic error in the history of a nation by choosing the wrong king. This could have been catastrophic and resulted in years of sorrow and needless pain for Israel had God not intervened and spoke to the prophet. It is a good thing that Samuel was an obedience prophet, one who feared God and sought to hear and do His will. Even when we error if our heart is tender toward God to do the right thing God will always help us get back in His perfect will.

 God interrupted Samuel’s erroneous thought process by revealing to Him that He did not see the way man … thank you Jesus! I am so glad God is God, and we are not. God said to Samuel, “for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

Isn’t that the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! People many times, unlike the nature and character of God, judge others by what they see on the outside. These judgments are most oftentimes influenced by past experiences, traditions, culture etc. Some people’s lives are totally destroyed just because of human judgment. People have lived and died and missed their entire destinies just because they listened to the wrong opinion concerning their future. Words can produce life or death, blessing or cursing, choose them wisely.

 God taught the prophet Samuel and us, a very valuable lesson that day. If God started the journey, you are on, let Him finish it, allow Him to reveal to you each step along the way and every word to say. Don’t jump ahead or lag to far behind, keep up and stay in step with God’s mind. He will be sure to guide us and help us finish our course and every assignment on time.

 

OPTIONS

 Options defined:

• Opportunity available for a limited time.
• A choice that is or can be taken.

When deciding what to choose, it is best to rule out things rather than making an uneducated decision. Now stay with me for a second I know you bible scholars are breathing fire down my back even as I speak. I know you might be saying we are not suppose to make educated decisions when we are Christian’s we are supposed to base our decisions on the Word of God not our education. However, you need to hear me out before you judge what I am saying because in order for you to make a decision based on the word of God you first had to be educated or informed. In other words you had to be taught. Jesus sat down and taught or educated the disciples concerning the Kingdom of God or God’s way of doing things, so that when He went to Heaven; they would know what to do. To educate thus simply means to: teach, inform, Instruct, edify, train, alert or tutor. There’s nothing evil or ungodly about being educated, what makes it evil or ungodly is the content, subject matter or the intent for use.

So as I was saying, we must learn to rule-out things before we make a final decision. The process of ruling out something allows you to examine all the options. In the Garden of Eden God gave Adam and Eve a command which created options. God told them you can eat of all the trees, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so we can say God instructed or educated them. God did not hide the tree from them, it was out in the open just like all the other trees. God gave them a choice. Did Adam and Eve make an informed choice or did they ignorantly choose death? God did not leave them without truth to base their decision on. When truth comes to us we must make a decision at that moment to always obey it and never be disloyal to it regardless of the allurement of temptations. Don’t wait till temptation comes to decide which option to choose. When you hear truth, settle it in your heart immediately, never choose the thing that you know displeases God. Jesus said that He always did those things that pleased the Father. How did He rule out the other options, He knew what pleased and what displeased His Father.

The word rule out means: to exclude something, or make a decision not to consider something. To rule-out is to prevent something or to make it impossible. When I rule-out something I am making a decision not to do it based on the truth I know or was taught. Hosea 4:8 reveals to us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” To live ignorant of options is to become prey to deception. God did not create us to be as robots, we have the ability to make choices, but we should make them based on what we know; if you don’t know enough you should wait until you do. Never yield to the pressure to make quick decisions.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Visit our website www.harrisministriesint.com, www.detoxifyingthesoul.com www.nuturingnuggets.net, www.themarriagemanual.net, www.beyondyourweight.com, and www.fellasofgod.com

Obeying Road Signs!

 Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (MSG)

So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I’m commanding you today—live a good life.

Following the road God has before us requires our attention during the journey and/or road of life. It is easy to get off on the wrong exits when we don't follow specific directions or instructions. The great thing about following God is that He has already created the map for your journey and knows all the road signs that He has placed along the way. The specific yield signs, turns and stops are all strategically placed for guidance along the way. However, we must stay alert while driving life's way.

Many times, when traveling on a familiar road we tend not to pay attention to the road signs because we have been down that particular road before. We casually glance at the signs as we confidently go our way assuring ourselves, we know where we are going. How many times do we tell others, “Oh I’ve been there so many times I could get there with my eyes closed. But how many times have you been on a familiar road, but your exit was different because you were going to another place that day and you almost missed your exit because you were so used to going to that familiar place.

Sometimes we can miss vital Divine directions in our lives because of routine familiarity. We begin to assume we know exacting what God is going to tell us to do, so much so that we stop asking Him for direction because we think we already know the answer and the way. We reason within ourselves from our own life's experiences that we know what is ahead. But God said in His Word that He would give us daily bread. The bread may look the same as yesterday's bread, it may feel the same, it may even taste the same but if it was prepared for today than it is today’s bread not yesterday's bread.
Sometimes we can also lose value and direction in relationships with others because we assume we know that person so well just because we have been around them for years. You can lose the initial respect and purpose God brought you together with that person for. Even though that person may have changed in many ways you still see them as your little girl or boy, or our high school sweetheart, or that’s just my parents etc.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Hearing from God daily is so vitally important to life success. Today is a new day, a day we have never seen before. Everything in your day may look exactly like it looked yesterday but today is not yesterday it is today. Don’t assume you know today just because you made it through yesterday. Take time to find out what God has for you today because even though it may look like yesterday in all actuality you have never seen today before. So, trust God to guide you every day in every way, fully trusting and depending on Him to lead the way.

Visit our website www.harrisministriesint.com, www.detoxifyingthesoul.com www.nurturingnuggets.net, www.themarriagemanual.net, www.beyondyourweight.com, and www.fellasofgod.com