Posted by: pastorapbell | July 28, 2011

as we take a stand against the wiles of the devil to protect our blessing!

Whenever God is about to bless you materially and spiritually several things tend to occur. Firstly the enemy ups the ante; that is he raises the stakes. In betting terms he increases the wager against you succeeding. The bigger your breakthrough will be the greater the stakes! For many who have been waiting on God the enemy uses family members and his influence in them is manifested as: greed, envy, rage, jealousy, anger, slander and abusive language, the very vices that the apostle Paul warns against in Colossians 3:8. For King David, it was his own son Absalom who plotted against him and conspired to take the throne with David’s own advisors (2Sam. 16ff).

Secondly Fear and doubt are the next things that arise in your spirit. Did God say that? Or how can this be? Or is it really God or is it a figment of my imagination? For Gideon God had to prove that it was he who would give him victory so he laid a fleece on the ground and one night he asked God to make it wet and it was and the other night he asked him to make the surrounds wet and the fleece dry and he did (Judges 6:36-40).

Thirdly your faith level drops and you start to rely on your own strength and abilities rather than on what God has instructed you to do. Samson played with the enemy and took one of their women as his bride. Although he knew God was with him he eventually told the secret of the Lord to the enemy. That cost him dearly, he lost his freedom and his sight.

Sadly just when we are to receive our blessing we can lose it by getting too close to the enemy. So the word for today this is this: trust in the lord and lean not on your own understanding, and when the enemy comes in like a flood, remember that the Lord will lift up his standard against him. Also, blessed be the Lord who has given his people rest according to all that he promised; not one word has failed of his good promise which he spoke through his servant Moses! (1Kings 8:56). Please be on your guard and learn the tricks of the devil! Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 27, 2011

as we aspire to become rich in spirit to be a blessing!

There has been a long period in Christendom where Jesus was portrayed as a poor Galilean who had exceptional wisdom and healing powers. This myth was perpetrated by Roman Catholic Church as a means of getting people to renounce their wealthy status an embrace that of a pauper who would become spiritually rich. Although the culture during the Middle Ages was one where the landed gentry and the aristocracy controlled the economic, political and religious systems, there were those who were inspired to challenge their presentation of the gospel of Jesus and the notions that Jesus was materially poor and economically challenged. From the reading of the accounts of Jesus’ life we must take note that he is presented firstly as a carpenter. In modern terms this would be a builder. Not only would he have made things he would have built houses, boats, furniture and so on. As a shrewd businessman he would not have been poor. His friends who left their businesses to follow him weren’t exactly poor either. Peter had two boats and employed several men to help run his business (John 21). Matthew was a civil servant for the Roman political system. So when Jesus went up on a mountain and taught his followers about the blessing of the Lord he was not decrying riches, in fact he was preaching against poverty. You see when materialism has a tight hold on you it tends to drain out your spirituality.  This means that you rely on your wealth rather than on God and it is in your interest to keep a poor underclass to service your needs.  If you are rich in spirit and rich materially, you can/will then use your wealth for the advancement of the kingdom of God. Today there are many great Christian men and women who are using their wealth to bring transformation and healing to many who are less fortunate than themselves. May God help you to be one of them! Stay blessed! Read Matthew 5 with a different set of lenses.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 26, 2011

as we fight the pervasiveness of materialism

The culture that we grow up in has a massive impact on the way we behave and operate. When I was a child growing up in the Caribbean everyone who lived in the locality or moved into the locality was acquainted with someone who already lived there. Every morning people would greet one another with pleasantries and when you passed someone on the roadside you would acknowledge them with a nod or a raising of the hand when saying ‘good morning’. Now we may live on a street for twenty years and don’t know the person living next door but one. We drive to work or to school and when we return we lock our gates and doors and are not seen again until the morning. In many countries we place bars on our windows and around our houses to keep unwanted guests out but more importantly it keeps us trapped in as prisoners in our own homes. This is the danger or materialism. Everybody wants the nice things in life and many will kill for it. As stated yesterday, things have won the day. It has many people and there are those who want what others have and will go to extraordinary lengths to get it. This was not the model of blessings that God envisaged. I believe our primary aim must be for wholesome relationships, where we can rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. Live life to the full and enjoy the opportunities that God brings your way. However, we must avoid the spirit of jealousy and envy because they come to destroy our relationships and will leave you isolated, alone and trapped in your own castle.  Today be aware, materialism is beneficial but has great danger. Read Ecclesiastes 2

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 25, 2011

as we get understanding and wisdom rather than materialism

We must be aware that blessings are not directly equated to materialism. I believe God wants his followers to have the best of everything. However, he does not want things to have them. For me this means that there is nothing that the follower of Jesus has that they cannot give away. And if this is the case the follower of Jesus recognises that the most important that they can have is a relationship with God: father, Son and Spirit so that they live to help others fulfil their potential. We are blessed then to be a blessing to others and by so doing we bask in the joy of the Lord. That is we learn to live according to the order:- Jesus, Others, and then Yourself. Remember you can have the material things, but don’t let them have you! Consider Solomon, he asked God for wisdom, knowledge and understanding and told God of his inadequacies to rule his people. God granted him his desire and he became the most renowned and wealthiest man in the east. Today as God blesses you always remember to keep him at the centre of your circle. Everything you need to progress will be supplied to you as you ask for the spirit of wisdom. Read 1Kings 3:1-15.

 

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 22, 2011

as the limited dialogues with the limitless

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. The easiest thing to do is to moan and complain when things don’t go our way. However, having the right perspective allows us to be able to see things differently and as a consequence to act differently. The above statement was said by Job in his memoirs (Job 1:21). He recognised that the blessor has the option to choose who he blesses and who blessings are withheld from. Does this mean that the blessor is evil if he chooses to bless this one rather than that one? According to Job’s mindset, it is his choice and whatever he choose to do is acceptable to those who understand him. So how do you react when things don’t go the way you envisaged them? Or people who you trusted betray you, or you are double-crossed by someone who you thought was close to you? Do you think the Lord is trying to tell you something?

Let me put it this way. The rain will fall on the just and on the unjust. And so although it may appear that evil people are prospering, God allows us ‘a certain’ amount or leverage and when we come to the end of the rope where will we end up? Job says this: “The creator has determined all our boundaries and once we reach it we cannot pass over it” (Job 14:5 paraphrased). Today remember you too have a boundary and once it is reached will you live again? Read Job 14

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 20, 2011

as we take our eyes of our problems and look to the great and mighty God!

Every good thing we receive in life has a source. For every blessing there is a ‘blessor’ and the one who receives the blessing(s) can do one of two things; turn back and give thanks or walk on to the next watering hole.  As we consider the greatness of our God and the enormous benefit we derive from having his name, let us reflect on some of his attributes and remember who we are dealing with. Isaiah an ancient prophet of the Lord puts it this way: “Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me.  He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.  And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind (Isaiah 40:27-31 The Message). Where Jacob and Israel is in the sentence put your name there, use both your names. The formal one and the one that only your closest friends know and remember that God know everything about you and he wants to lavish his blessings on you! So start your day by thanking him for everything, even the things you cannot see! Read Isaiah 40 and consider that the blessor is you friend.   

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 18, 2011

as we hear the father heart of God

The intention of a good father is to provide a favourable environment so that his children can thrive. The problem with the above statement is that fatherhood cannot be taught rather it can only be caught. We hear the Psalmist entreating the Lord to “teach me your way so that I may not sin against you” in Psalm 25:4, 27:11, 86:11 and still he did not get it totally right as a father. It is not easy being a father. The father wants the best possible outcome for the child, but the child wants all that the father has now! As a young man learning to be an obedient son, David who later became one of the best kings of Israel, wrote this “wait on the Lord, be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, wait I say on the Lord”, Psalm 27:14 it is during the waiting period that the son learns to become a good father and the daughter a good mother. There are no set formulae or class that one can attend to learn these traits. The basics are handed down from one generation to the next, however since each of us are individual we have certain characteristics that are specific to us. Some children will not learn until they have been through the mill. For others the penny will drop immediately and they will reap the goodness that has been laid up for them. A good father teaches his children by demonstration, so the hugs, the encouragement, the quality time spent just talking, creates the right notion in the child that passes on from one generation to another.  The most difficult thing to change in an individual is their mind. When this is stretched and expanded from a young age however, that person will become a good parent.  Today remember that good is relative and the only one who is truly ‘good’ is God. Read Psalm 27 to hear the father’s heart.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 14, 2011

as we get what we deserve!

For any individual the most important thing in their life is to have a personal relationship with God the father and creator of us all. Once this relationship is established and you are walking is line with what God ordained from the beginning, the world then becomes your ‘oyster’. The ‘what does God bless us with’ is very wide ranging!  Inside every individual are the building blocks to develop into someone great. Being in the right environment and having the correct amount of nutrients lavished on us enables us to grow and to fulfil our vast potential. However, like a diamond, for us to shine we will need to be polished. For Joseph of the biblical narrative this took 13 years. For others it make take longer, but however long it takes God wants to establish his relationship with you and make your name great (Gen 12:1-3).  As with the case for Joseph, he had a gift and was blessed by his father with a visible coat which made him the target of his peers. Whatever God chooses to give to you [bless you with] it will always make others jealous. Never ever forget this, for those who walk according to the ways of God will receive from his hands everything he has for them and will obtain great favour from men. What will God bless you with? Anything he chooses! Read Genesis 45:16-28.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 13, 2011

as we ask, what does God bless us with?

For many, blessings is the acquisition of material things. However things seldom bring true happiness as they change over time. God knows this and therefore his remit is to give us the tools to be able to deal with the constant changes we will face as time meanders on. God therefore blesses us by giving us his name and on receipt of this he places his spirit in us so that we can learn how to become fully human. In essence, the blessing of the lord is the ability to walk in step and in obedience with the eternal spirit and as our mind is aligned with the mind of God, our whole vista changes. We are able to view things objectively. This enables us to use our gifts and talents to get wealth, acquire things and use our material wealth to advance the kingdom of God on the earth. An example of this is Solomon. As a young inexperienced man instead of asking God for things, he asked him for wisdom, knowledge and understanding and because of this he became the wealthiest man in his generation.  So when we say may the lord bless you, we are in essence saying may you accept, develop and walk in the mind of Christ so that you can fulfil the will of God for your life on the earth.

God bless you  – read Numbers 6:24 and Psalm 103.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 12, 2011

as we decide to bear his name!

The Lord bless you and keep you…always

 

Today let us try to answer the ‘how’ question regarding blessings. So how do we get our blessing(s)? In the typical Hebraic tradition it is the father who passes on the blessings to their children. Although this may appear patriarchal, it is the giver of the seed who put their name of the recipient. The father passes his genetic information unto those who come after him. It is this concept of passing on the information to those following that allows us to see and appreciate the heart of God. When God instructed Moses to speak to Aaron and make the pronouncement he was giving him imperatives, that is, there was a surety about the eventuality of the blessings in whatever form they came. When he declares that “the Lord bless you and keep you” he is saying that whilst the Lord still has the position as father in your life, you will prosper in whatever you do. And this is the reason why. After the final pronouncement the Lord says to Moses, so shall you put my name on the Israelites.  We answer the ‘How’ question then by understanding that when a declaration is made over you, particularly when it is made by your father, they are putting something in your spirit. In the parlance of people from other cultures, when a child excels or fails, the question is asked, “Who put their mouth on that individual?” The blessing of the Lord is received when his name is put on us (Numbers 6v:27). When a man passes on his DNA to the next generation, wrapped up in the invisible parcel is all the information that the individual needs to succeed once they come into the world. I am aware that all the other aspects of training and nurturing are required, however the basic building blocks are given to this new life. And this is the very reason why all those who are under the curse after Adam rejected the blessings from the Lord need to be ‘born again’. This occurs when our spirits are impregnated by having the name of Jesus put in and on us and hence we develop the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5).

Have a blessed day! May the lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you his peace!!

Read Numbers 6:22-27 and Proverbs 10:22.

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