PRISON = A place of confinement or restrained of personal liberty as punishment for a crime. A place of confinement or restrained of personal liberty while on trial.
Throughout the Bible, we read about individuals who were placed in prison. These individuals (Joseph, Samson, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Silas, and other nameless believers) were imprisoned for various accusations made against them and the length of time they were detained varied. These individuals had to suffer the hardship of imprisonment though they were innocent of the charges brought against them, and some of them even died while a prisoner. Unfortunately, life is not always fair, and believers are often innocent casualties.
The blog I am going to share today is about Paul and Silas, the events leading up to their imprisonment, and what they did while in prison. I will also share some nuggets that I gleaned from this event.
Paul was on his second missionary journey and accompanying him were fellow ministers of the gospel. They had reached the city if Philippi where Paul encounter a girl who was possessed with the spirit of divination. This girl followed the disciples for days, saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts16:17). Her actions bothered Paul to the point that he commanded the spirit to come out of her. When her owners realized she would no longer be profitable to them, they caught Paul and Silas and brought them before the magistrate with charges of being troublemakers and disturbers of the peace with their new religious teachings. The magistrates acquiesced to the mob pressure and had Paul and Silas stripped, whipped, and placed in the inner prison with their feet placed in stocks.
The Bible states at midnight Paul and Silas were awake praying and singing so loudly that the other prisoners heard them. It also states this, “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here” (Acts 16:26-27). Paul and Silas did not try to escape out of prison, but they stayed put. When the jailer realized what had happened, he was convicted, and he and his household accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Here are some nuggets that I gleaned from this prison test:
1. You can be imprisoned for ministering the Word.
2. There are people that don’t want to be delivered from the powers of darkness.
3. Your enemy wants to immobilize you completely.
4. While imprisoned, you may not be able to move about, but you can still use your mouth.
5. Prayer and praise should continue to flow during periods of confinement.
6. God can move anywhere. and however. He chooses.
7. Your prayer and praise will lose others as well as yourself.
8. Even in prison, there is a ministry.
9. Your action in prison can saves lives.
Finally, Paul and Silas were great examples for us. They did not allow their difficult situation to hinder them from what God had called them to do. Whenever you are experiencing your midnight (darkest hour), pray, praise, and watch how God will deliver you.
Purity = the state of being free from sin, evil or moral wrong; lacking a knowledge of evil; the quality or condition of being pure; freedom from adulterating matter; cleanness or clearness; innocence; chastity.
When I think about the subject, “Purity” Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego immediately comes to my mind. These young men who were taken from their family and nation maintained their integrity and purity. They were not swayed or tempted to indulge in worldly pleasures, but they held on to their religious convictions. I am sure you know their stories so allow me to give a brief summary of the purity test event in their lives.
Let me start with Joseph. During his childhood, Joseph had two dreams in which he was exalted above his ten brothers and parents. When he shared these dreams with his brothers, it made them angry. Plus, they were mad at him because their father loved him greatly and showed him preferential treatment. Therefore, when given the opportunity to get rid of him, they sold him to Ishmaelite merchants who took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer, and captain of Pharaoh’s guards.
God prospered and blessed Joseph in the house of Potiphar and Potiphar made him the overseer of his household. Potiphar’s wife became attracted to Joseph and repeatedly attempted to seduce him, but Joseph refused to become sexually involved with her. He told her, “Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”(Genesis 39:8-9). This made her angry, and she was able to frame Joseph and say to Potiphar that Joseph attempted to rape her. Consequently, Potiphar believed his wife and had innocent Joseph put into prison. Joseph, if he wanted, could have had a secret affair with Potiphar’s wife, but due to his relationship with God, he made a conscious decision not to compromise himself.
The other purity test took place in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took the young men of royalty that displayed great scholastic abilities into his palace to indoctrinate them in the ways and culture of Babylon. Among these young men were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The program that these young men were placed in was to last three years, and during that time, they were fed a diet of food and wine that was against the laws of their God. Knowing this, Daniel requested the steward Melzar to allow them to eat pulse and drink water for ten days and then compare them to the other young men that were eating the king’s meat and drinking wine. At the conclusion of the trial period, their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter than the other trainees; so, they were permitted to continue with their restricted diet. And listen to how God blessed them after their three-year training, “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. And among them all was found none like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.” (Daniel 1:17, 19b-20)
Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all passed the purity test. Amid pressure, they remained pure. Though in a foreign land they held on to the God of their forefathers and God blessed and rewarded them for their actions for all of them became great leaders.
In the age in which we are presently living in, with continued temptations to yield to the allurements of this world, it behooves believers to stand firm like these four young men and no doubt the results will be the blessings and favor of God on our lives.
I was listening to the news on this past Wednesday, October 7, 2015, and I heard the reporter say that the E-bible Fellowship group had predicted that on that day the world was supposed to come to an end by fire and as you can see it did not. This prediction prompted me to pen this blog about a few endtime fallacies.
1. Periodically we have heard predictions concerning the end of this world and the rapture of believers. Firstly, this world has to endure the tribulation and millennial reign of Jesus Christ before it is destroyed by fire (Revelation 4-16) and these events encompass over a thousand years (Daniel 9; Revelation 20). Secondly, Jesus said this in Mark 13:32, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” So, Jesus does not even know when He will return for the rapture. Stop listening to these predictions and make sure you are ready when He comes.
2. Heaven is not the home of believers. When the rapture takes place, we will go to heaven and reside there during the tribulation, and after that, we will return to earth with Jesus and live on earth during the millennial reign. At the conclusion of the millennial reign, there will be the battle of Gog and Magog and the white throne judgment; then this earth will be replaced with a new heaven and earth. The holy city, the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth, and believers will reside in it (Revelation 21-22). Heaven was not created for believers; the earth was.
3. Some people believe that heaven will be inhabited by only 144,000 chosen people; however, the book of Revelation shares glimpses of a great multitude of people beyond the 144,000 (Revelation 4, 5, 7, 15 & 19).
4. There will be individuals who claim to be the Christ; however, Jesus warned His followers that there would be those that will call themselves Christ and unfortunately many will be deceived by them (Matthew 24:5). Don’t fall into that deceptive trap. It will be a while before Jesus returns to earth, and when He does the world will know it (Revelation 1:7).
5. Since the rapture has not taken place, yet there are those who believe it is not going to happen, but let me remind you that there were those that did not believe that Jesus would be born. God spoke of the birth of Jesus to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the promise of the birth of a Savior was prophesied by the prophets. It took thousands of years but the day came when Jesus was born, and so, believers are not to despair or become doubtful for the day will come like Paul stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
6. If I am a believer who practices sinning, I will be raptured because God knows and loves me. That ideology is false for if you have not lived for Jesus, while you were alive, when you die, there is no hope for you. Hebrews 9:27 states, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” and unfortunately you will hear the words, “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew7:21-23).
7. For as long as I can remember people have speculated on who they thought the antichrist was due to the charisma and activities of these individuals, and I have seen these supposed antichrist (presidents, popes, and rising world leaders) live and die. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and Revelation 6:2 though men may speculate who is the antichrist, he will not be revealed or come into power until after the rapture of the church
8. Some believe that during the millennial reign of Jesus, there will be complete peace on earth; unfortunately, this is not true. Satan will be bound for those thousand years (Revelation 20:1-2), but his angels and demon forces are still loose on earth, causing confusion. The Bible states Jesus must rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15) and He will rebuke nations and hold back rain from their land because of their disobedience (Micah 4:3; Zechariah 14:17-19). At the end of Christ’s millennial reign, Satan is loosed out of his prison, and he is able to deceive nations once again to follow after him. This uprising ends with the battle of Gog and Magog (Revelation 20:7-8).
Let me close this blog with this fact. I feel the rapture of the church is imminent. The sign of the times, the continuous war going on in Israel, and the advancement of our modern technology (internet and smartphones) which allows the world to see events taking place all at the same time, leads me to this belief. Therefore, I encourage you to make your calling and election sure and be ready.
I hope this information has helped you. Also, if you go into my archive, you can read the blogs (56) that I wrote on the book of Revelation. Many people have difficulty understanding it, so I blogged it in a manner that makes it easy to read and understand. If we don’t meet on earth, I will see you in heaven. Meet me there
Several weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and was impressed in my spirit to turn on the Word Channel, which I did. At that particular time, a pastor with whom I am not familiar was preaching from 2 Corinthians 12, and he was talking about our attitude when things do not go our way. Though I only heard a short portion of his message, I was motivated to revisit this scripture and to see what God is saying to me.
The author of Corinthians is Paul, the apostle, and in chapter 12 he shared that rather than be boastful in the revelations and visions that he had experienced and which made people think of him as someone special, he would be humble and not divulge anything. He implied, God knowing him, helped him keep humble by giving him something that kept him grounded. Paul called this, “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan.” Commentators have given their different theories on what this was, but Paul was not specific in his description of this thing. However, he did say he asked God several times to remove it, but God told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, God told Paul, “The answer is no.” Paul concluded that he would take pleasure in sicknesses, in insults, abuse, hardships, opposition, and bad breaks for during these difficult times when he must depend on God; God receives more glory.
In our life, we do not want pain or anything that is going to make us feel uncomfortable, and if we are to experience these hurtful things we want it to be quick and short-lived. We often blame Satan for our misfortunes, not realizing these misfortunes sometimes are from God and are present to make us better witnesses for Him. Therefore, it is important for us to find out the source and reason of our difficulties, and to accept the fact that our situation may not change, but with the help of God, we will survive.
Let me begin this blog with this. God’s Word is given to us for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction. He has given us His Holy Spirit, which comes to lead and guide us into all truth; however, whether we accept the doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction, and guidance is left up to us.
On Thursday morning during our early morning prayer service at my home church, the Holy Spirit once again began to speak to me concern those things that I watch, and allow to penetrate my spirit. During this time, three words were mentioned. The first was appetite (desire, urge, inclination, longing, craving, thirst, yearning, hankering, ache), the second was entertainment (amusement or pleasure that comes from watching a performer) and the third was voyeur (a person who likes seeing and talking or writing about something that is considered to be private). I had to question myself on what was appealing to my appetite, and what I found entertaining. What did I long to watch, and why was I watching things that may not be wholesome and productive in my Christian walk? The Holy Spirit ministered to me about the subtleties of Satan and how he has made believers into voyeurs without us realizing what has happened. Remember, at one time in our society if you were caught being a voyeur (a person who gets sexual pleasure from secretly watching other people have sex) or a Peeping Tom (another name that was used for the same action) you could be legally prosecuted. However, our present society has made this act acceptable by inviting us via the media, in the privacy of our homes and at movies, to witness these acts without consequence. Our question becomes when we are watching is there an alarm going off in our spirit or have we become carnal that like the world we enjoy what we see?
After leaving prayer, I went to the gym, and at the front desk, two employees were engaged in a heated discussion about the show “Empire” which had been televised the previous night. One stated they was glad that the show was showing all kinds of sexual activity because the world needs to be exposed to what is happening and the other was concerned for vulnerable youths that were being exposed to the various sinful lifestyles. After listening to their exchange, I concluded that probably neither one of these persons were Christians, but the philosophy of the show was getting their attention. One employee was concerned about children. Are we concerned about ours? Are we monitoring what our children are watching, or are they watching on a different television the same things we are?
Also, have you noticed that because of ratings, a large percentage of shows are trying to outdo each other, so they are going to the extreme? Have you noticed that they are promoting acts that are according to God’s Word perverse?
In Romans 1, Paul wrote to believers about acts of perversion, which were the result of men not acknowledging God. The chapter ended with these words in verse 32, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Paul is saying that there are acts in which believers should not be engaged, and they should not enjoy or take pleasure in seeing others do these acts. Unfortunately, many believers have overlooked this verse, for we are advertising ungodly programs.
So where does this leave me? My struggle, as I know a large percentage of believers also experience, is bringing my body under subjection to the Word and will of God. John, in his writing, said, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2: 15-17). My flesh, my eyes, and my pride can be a major hindrance in my life in receiving all that God has for me. So, it takes all my resolve, discipline, and commitment to God to love what He loves and to hate what He hates. My prayer has become, “LORD, HELP ME, AND SAVE ME FROM MYSELF AND THE HAND OF THE ENEMY. SAVE ME FOR REAL.”
Finally, I believe that all of us must choose whom ye will serve, and may the Holy Spirit help you to make the right choice.
Believers in their lifetime often find themselves bargaining with God. This is not a new occurrence for this is what was recorded in Genesis concerning Jacob. Let me share his story with you.
In Genesis 27 Jacob the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and twin brother of Esau carried out an act of deceit with his mother and stole his brother’s blessing; consequently, his brother plotted to kill him. When Rebekah heard about the plot, she devised a plan to get Jacob out of harm’s way by sending him to her family in Haran to find a wife. So, following the wishes of his parents, Jacob leaves Beersheba and heads to Haran. After traveling during the day, it is evening time, and Jacob lies down to sleep and has a dream (Genesis 28:10 – 22). In this dream, he sees angels ascending and descending a ladder from heaven to earth. Also, he sees the Lord who says this to him, “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” Jacob wakes up and fearfully acknowledges the presence of God. He then makes this vow, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”
Please note God gives Jacob whose previous actions displayed him as not a decent person, beautiful promises. Rather than rejoice in these promises, Jacob gives God his requirements for his allegiance. His response shows his distrust. He did not take God at His Word, and God had to prove Himself honorable before Jacob would acknowledge Him as His God. Despite Jacob’s response God was with him and allowed Jacob to return safely to Bethel where he finally acknowledged the goodness of God (Genesis 35).
Jacob’s bargaining is similar to what we believers do. First, we are not deserving of God’s favor. He overlooks our faults and showers us with His grace and mercy. In His Word, we find hundreds of blessings provided for us; yet, we question and bargain with Him. God if you do this I will serve you, I will give to, I will go to, etc., etc., etc. Unfortunately, many of the vows we make to God we do not honor; but we still expect God to treat us lovingly.
If in the past out of blindness, ignorance, or unawareness of the promises of God you bargained with Him, today is a good time to ask for His forgiveness, and to make a change in the way you petition Him. I had to stop typing this blog, reflect on what I’ve done in the past, ask for forgiveness and requested insight and help for the future.
I pray this blog has given you something to think about for it has helped me.
Malnutrition = lack proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does digest. Synonyms: undernourishment · malnourishment · poor diet · inadequate diet · unhealthy diet · lack of food · hunger · starvation
Using the above definition for malnutrition, I can conclude that spiritual malnutrition results from our eating habits, and when we are in this condition, we are unable to function at our maximum capacity. What is ironic is that many of us ask God to show Himself strong in our lives; however, we do not want to do what it takes to accomplish our request. Rather than feed our spiritual man that we might grow thereby, we feed our carnal nature. Many of us love junk food, foods that are high in sodium and calories, and foods that provide us with little nutritional value. We enjoy digesting and promoting worthless things, and we fail to realize we don’t have strength; for the right foods gives us energy, helps repair muscles, organs, and skin, and fights off diseases.
During a doctor’s visits, doctors usually question the patient about their eating habits. When necessary doctors recommend changes that will institute proper diets for they know improper diets cause health problems. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual, our daily digestion of the Word is essential. Listen to the words of Solomon, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22).
As I previously stated above, malnourishment can occur from a lack of food or starvation. I watched this happen to several elderly persons to whom I was closely related. These individuals were dying, and one of the things that I noted is that they appeared to lose their appetite as their time of death approached. This experience led me to research what happens when a person is dying, and here are some of my findings. Researchers believe the cessation of eating and drinking is a normal part of the dying process that typically occurs when a dying person loses interest in food and fluids. This also results in them becoming weaker, and when this happens, the process of progressive weakness leading to death will occur days to weeks sooner than would happen if the person had continued eating and drinking. I pray you are getting the message I am attempting to relay in this blog. When you don’t eat, you are dying, and when you don’t eat properly, you will be unable to function effectively.
Finally, the Bible provides us with the remedies for spiritual malnutrition. Jesus told Satan in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Believers cannot exist on just worldly food; they are to digest not some, but all of the Word of God. Also, as God admonished Joshua in Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Believers’ continuous interaction with the Word and obedience of the Word ends in prosperity and success. Lastly, Daniel 11:32b states, “…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” In this scripture, Daniel is informed about end time events. Those believers that know God will be successful, but they have to do the work to know Him. They must be in communication with Him, and they must study his Word. I realize God values His work.; therefore, God does not give irresponsible people power. If you refuse to eat properly and refuse to do the work you can wish and desire to be used, but you will be overlooked.
Let me close with this. Satan has deceived believers into thinking they can do things their way; however, those that are partners in God’s kingdom must be a believer of the Word, a doer of the Word and are definitely not spiritually malnourished.
1 Corinthians 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
In this world, the Spirit of Jealousy and the Spirit of Intimidation are in operation, and honest believers will acknowledge that these negatives forces do trouble and interact with them from time to time.
Here are my definitions and examples of these troubling spirits:
Spirit of Jealousy = envy, resentment, malice, ill will, covetousness, an unhappy feeling because someone has something that you would like or can do something that you would want to do.
When we look at the accomplishments (promotions/fame) and material gain (houses/cars/ clothes) of others the Spirit of Jealousy attempts to make us envious and resentful concerning the things that we don’t have or have not attained. We can find ourselves questioning why others have, and we don’t, for in our minds we are just as good, if not better, than those with whom we are comparing ourselves.
Spirit of Intimidation = the feeling of discouragement in the face of someone’s superior fame or wealth or status, bullying, make timid and fearful.
A good example of the Spirit of Intimidation is in the praying realm. Have you ever heard a person pray that set your soul ablaze, and you compared it with your prayer that was a simple few words? You became intimidated and felt you could not pray publicly because you did not sound like the great prayer. What you failed to understand is that God hears and honors your sincere, simple words as much as that great prayer.
These spirits are very subtle, and before you realize what is taking place in your life, these spirits will creep in and take up residence. So, here are a few suggestions to combat against these spirits: Demonic forces constantly bombarded our minds with negativity; therefore, I believe it is vitally important to rehearse scriptures that talk about God’s thoughts toward us, how we were made and our position in the Kingdom of God.
Furthermore, I Corinthians 12:18 should be permanently stamped in our minds. God created us the way we are, and it pleased Him to place us where we are. Our ill feelings concerning our placement, abilities, and accomplishments are saying to God I don’t like what You created, and I don’t think You know what You are doing, and could not You do it a better way? Unknowingly, Satan has us aligning ourselves with him. Finally, like the Apostle Paul, we have to learn how to be content resting in the knowledge that God is in charge, and His will is being worked out in our lives.
My home assembly, Bethlehem Community Church, has a new member class, which is called “Christian Stewardship.” In this class, a threefold commitment is taught on the premise that it is the responsibility of believers to share their time, talent, and possessions in the service of God.
Our first commitment is to God. Before anyone, and anything He comes first. Our behavior often reflects that in our mind, and world He is not important and we commune and fellowship with Him when it suits our convenience; however, this is a false notion. God affords us the privilege of having an intimate relationship with Him, the creator of the universe, the beginning and the end, the One who is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and the judge of the whole earth; yet, we treat Him like He is a mere acquaintance. He allows us to choose whether we will serve Him, whether we will obey His word and adhere to His principals. If we love Him and are committed to Him, we will keep His commandments.
Our second commitment is to serve. All believers are called to be a servant, but unfortunately, a large percentage of believers are just pew sitters. They get involved as little as possible, come late, leave early and have a lot to say about how their church is run.
In several of His parables, Jesus uses percentages to describe the actions of believers, and unfortunately, it is never the 100% that are producing or having a positive result. For those in leadership positions, I believe He was trying to alert them to the productivity of believers; thus, they would not be disheartened when they experienced the apathy that is found in their local assemblies.
In the New Testament, Paul in a number of his writings shares that God has placed each believer in the body as it pleases Him and has given each of us gifts to use for the edifying of the body. No one is better than another, each has a specific part to play, and when a believer is missing in action, the body is not functioning up to its full capacity. Sadly, I can honestly say we have many malfunctioning bodies.
Our third and final commitment is to give. This giving is tithes and offering. I find offerings are usually not an issue because that is left up to the giver’s discretion, but I am amazed continually by believers who are non-tithers; yet, they request prayer for God to provide them with material things. They either do not know the Word, or they think they are exempt from tithing. Before I join people in their prayer request my question to them has become, “Are you a faithful tither” If their answer is, “sometimes” or “no” I share scriptures on tithing, and then my prayer becomes God help them to do what they supposed to do to reverse the curse that is existing in their life.
In my lifetime, I have numerous testimonies on how God blessed me financially, and I believe in accordance with His Word, He is blessing me because of the monies that I have willingly given. I believe and experience the song, “You can’t beat God giving, no matter how you try. The more you give, the more He gives to you.”
In closing, it is my hope and prayer that from this blog, you realize Christian stewardship is vitally important. As we are about to start the last quarter of this year, I encourage you to take a self-inventory in these three areas of commitment and either make the necessary changes or keep up the good work, so that you can hear the words of Christ, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
USAGE = The act, way, manner, or amount of using or treating someone or thing.
Over the past months, I have blogged on twenty-two kinds of test, and this is the last one in this series. I compiled my list from a material that I read in several books; therefore, this list is not limited to what I have shared, for I am sure you could probably name several that I have not included in my blogs. If you do have any, please send them to me via comments.
This last test in this series is labeled the usage test, and it is described as when an individual experiences a lack of opportunities, invitations, or demand to utilize their ministry gift. For this last test rather than use a Bible character, I will share my own experience as it relates to this test.
I stand in the office of a teacher, and over the years, I have received numerous prophecies concerning my ministry and the lives of the people that it will touch. I have diligently recorded the words that I have received and occasionally review them to see whether they have come to pass. I feel as if I am in a holding pattern, for 80% of the words that I received have yet to come to fruition. Some would label this time as incubation, dormancy, waiting, or isolation.
I have learned that like animals that gather their food and store it, that I am to use this time productively: learning, studying, and preparing texts for the future. While I am waiting on my word, the activities in which I participate locally such as periodically teaching the adult Sunday school class in my church, the weekly Bible class I teach in a nursing home in our community, and the blogging I have done for several years enhances my gift. If Jesus returns before the fruition of my word, I don’t want him to rebuke me for hiding my gift in the ground; at least I am doing something with it.
Also, if I need to make attitude adjustments, this time has afforded me the opportunity to make those corrections. Often I must remind myself that God is in control of my life; He is ordering my steps, and in His timing, I will accomplish all that He has purposed for my life. Age is not a factor in usage, for God uses senior citizens. So, though I have not gone to the masses I am utilizing this time wisely for only the future will tell if the words I received were correct and it is my intention to pass the usage test successfully.
As I stated at the beginning of this blog, this is the last blog in this test series. I pray this series has helped and encouraged you in whatever test you may be experiencing, and I look forward to meeting you here again with my next blog installment. Until that time, God be with you.
The Teacher's Pick 