A Ceiling Prayer
A Generation That Don't Want Help
A Helpless Generation
A Reason To Praise God
Among Her Lovers
Are You Feeling Your Blessing Yet
Are You In The Right Place pt 1
Backward Smiles
Beauty Departed
Before My Enemy
Being Effective In The Church
Can You Feel Your Blessing
Can You Stand The Pain
Captive Affliction
Children of Destiny
Circles of Emotions
Comfort Her
Desolate Land Overthrown By Strangers
Dirty Skirts
Give Up Turn Loose Let God
Great Among The Nation
Heard Words Written
Her Children Are Gone
Her Tears
Is Your Land Polluted
Jesus Christ Larger Than Life
Let's Straighten it Out
Multitude Prosper
Partnership with Christ
Pillars of Brass
Pray When It Hurts
Prepare Ye the Way & Believe
Promotion Wealth & Prosperity
Seed, Time, Harvest & Thanksgiving
Seven To One
She Findeth No Rest
She Was So Great
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me
The State of The world
The Three L's of the Holy Spirit
The Three P's of the Holy Spirit
This Thing Called Life - Can on the Street
Tributary Provices
United In The Heart
Virgins Afflicted
Weeping Sore in the Night
What Do you Do Once You Get Up
What Happens When A Woman Prays
What Kind of Love You Got
Where Are Her Lovers
Why You not Dressed for the Wedding
WINGS
Words From the Throne
Words of Healing
You Got to Keep Dancin
Your Blessing is on its Way
Your Change Is Coming
Zion Do Mourn
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Poem Booklets
Assortment of Poems
Healing Poetry
Life Poems Samples
Sitting Soliatary Samples
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Short Stories
My Trip to Mchigan
Hensley Drive
Peoria News
Life Without God
Sitting In Class
A Piece of Paper on the Highway
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Plays
Can You Stand The Pain
They Still Haten on Me
Dorise Ministrial Booklet Samples
Today the Holy Spirit says that prayer is the key to changing things. A ceiling prayer cannot change a thing. If you will look up at the ceiling, that is just how far a ceiling prayer go. David said, that his prayer did not even get as far as the ceiling; David said his prayer returned back to his bosom. Oh yes, we don’t want to be noted for a ceiling prayer.
We are going to discuss some things today concerning the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous. A lot of people think they can go out on Saturday night and bogy on down and get on down; then on Sunday they can get up and say with effectiveness Our God, Our Father The Lord of Host, The Miracle Maker oh no! Honey let me tell you all you doing is a ceiling prayer. You are not helping no body when you pray a ceiling prayer, no one will be touched: no one will be blessed: no one will be effected with a ceiling prayer, hallelujah.
No we know that prayer changes things. Have we not heard all the days of our life. Yes we all have heard that prayers changes things, but we have not heard the flip side of the coin. That if your life is not right, God does not care how much you pray your prayer will change a thing! It will not change anything. It will ascend to the ceiling and fall down. You get back on your knees you pray it goes to the ceiling it falls down. My God it’s time to get our prayers heard to finally get it right in God’s sight. It time to start getting serious it’s time to start getting our life right with the Lord. In this booklet we will be discussing three things how prayer change things:
What is prayer and the reason for
The effect prayer has on us
How to pray
If you don’t want to guilty of those ceiling prayers you need to know how to pray, so we will discuss how you need to pray in order to be effective in your family; in order to be effective in your neighborhood; in order to be effective in the community you need to know how to pray. Prayer is a very serious topic to the Lord, and He wants us to understand the power thereof AMEN!
What is prayer? Prayer is described as calling upon the name of the Lord! It is very simple put, it is the communication between man and God. It is the opening of the skylight of your soul to the life that is above. In Prayer God invites you, he invites you and me to live with him in allowing us to approach him in prayer. God shows his great love for us hallelujah, and in praying we formulate and manifest our devotion to him.
Prayer offered in faith is the most powerful resource by it we may induce Almighty God to grant us that which we desire. It is also said that communion with God is the highest activity of which people are capable of. Prayer is the highest activity of which people are capable of. I had to say it twice so that you could get that in your spirit.
Now the biblical doctrine of prayer articulates God’s character and the necessity of being in right covenant relationship with him. And God therefore does not automatically hears every prayer.
John 4:24 says: God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Worship is a form of prayer. Let’s look at the word of God and lets look at some of the issue that God is concerned about:
Let’s look at Isaiah 1:15- And when you spread forth your hands I will hide my eyes from you, when you make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood. Now why would God say when you spread your hands that he would hide his face. Now let me say this for the record: Back 1017-975BC according to history, people often stood when praying, which was called a standing prayer! On occasion however, one might be found kneeling or in a prostrate position as in 1Kings 18:42 explains with their hands spread out or lifted up. So remember that in the early days of 975 before Christ it was known that most people would stand praying in this form. With their hands spread out lifted up before the Lord. So when Isaiah said in chapter one verse fifteen when you spread forth your hands I will hide my face from you, it is because of sin, it is because sin that our hands are covered with blood. So when the Almighty looks down on us when we pray, he sees our hands full of blood.
To God when you sin its like having bloody hands, it becomes detestable to him, so he has to turn away, he is a Holy God. If you sinned before God and you have not gone before his throne and repented and acknowledge you acts against his words. To acknowledge that we have sinned that we have turned our back on him by doing all these detestable things in his presence and asked the Lord to forgive you. If you have not done that one act whether standing kneeling or prostrate. If you have not said those words, when you do go to lift your hands in prayer up to God, he is going to see bloody hands. He will be therefore hindered from hearing, acknowledging or answering your prayer. So therefore you will be praying a ceiling prayer. Our God will not take the time to hear you once he have seen those bloody hands.
I heard someone tell a story about a doctor coming into the room and asking a couple questions and I can relate to that story and in this situation and in this scenario God is say let me see your hands when you enter his presence to pray! During our spiritual examination with God some of us are sick because during our visitation we were found to have bloody hands. A lot times we want to close our hands like this:
God want us to raise our hands and lift them up when we pray like this. So in the event that you have not gone before God and repented, then when you go to lift your hands before the Lord, God is going to see bloody hands. Now just think about it if your child or someone comes to you with bloody hands, first thing will want to do is wash them hands off and try to see what is going on! You want to find out what’s bleeding is that right? I know I would if one of my children come to me and had bloody hands, I would say what’s wrong, what’s the matter, what happened? The first thing I would try to do is get those bloody hands washed off so I can see what’s really going on.
Well God is telling us the same thing, God wants us to go and wash off our hands first, before we come to him with our prayers. That’s why the word of God say, choose you this day whom you shall serve; as for me and my house we shall serve the Lord! He also says: wash you and make you clean, you should be willing to wash your self up before you come to God! And the way we do that is through repenting, through asking God to forgive us, for our iniquities and for our sins. So we repent whenever it time to go to God in prayer. It does not matter as often times as we go to God in prayer we should and need to repent. The bible say: no not any that is good.
I hope you are following along with me I hope you understand the contents of this word thus far. Now the only way that he can look upon us when we pray with our hands stretch is that he sees the BLOOD of JESUS. When we washed our hands and cleaned ourselves up and we come before the Lord after that we have repented he will see the BLOOD of his Son and that is the only blood he wants to see, which is a delight to God’s sight. God knows the suffering that his Son when through, so the Blood of Jesus is the only kind of blood that God wants to see on our hands when we pray.
Now if you have blood because of sin, your prayers will only hit the ceiling. If you have the Blood of Jesus all over you, it will not only be on your hands when they are lifted up, but it will be all over your head and on your body. God will look down on you while you are praying and say, that’s my child. He or she has my Son’s Blood on him, glory hallelujah.
Now let’s look at Psalms 66: 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me. If you keep iniquity in your heart, sin in your heart when you go to pray God is not going to hear you. That is a ceiling prayer.
The Reason to Prayer:
We need to get to the point our prayers is going to change some things and if your prayer is not changing anything there is some iniquity abiding about. There is some sin still in your life your hands is covered with the wrong blood. Proverbs 15:8 says: the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Now God says the wicked prayer or their sacrifice, when God refers to sacrifice he is speaking of their prayers, they are the same thing. Because you are sacrificing your time and your space to go before the Lord and pray to Him and talk to Him, that is a sacrifice. Because God knows the times and the days have changed and there is so much going on that it is truly a sacrifice to stop and pray. God accepts it as such. So God says with the wicked one it is an abomination when they come to him and pray, he knows they do not have a right heart, their hands are filled with blood and it is not the Blood of Jesus! It is the blood of another saint, it is the blood of a friend, it is the blood of a neighbor, it is the blood of a family member or love one that they have treated wrong. Or talked about that day, that kind of blood and it is an abomination to God. When God looks down and see what you have done all day, that have not given him any glory, that have not given him any praise. You have talked about so and so, you have murdered so and so in your heart, you had adultery with your neighbor in your heart all that is blood on your hands.
The prayer of the upright is his delight. God looks at his children when they pray and has the biggest smile on his face. It his a delight to bless us and to give to us! You know how you feel when you ask your mom for a piece of candy and you really want that candy, and she gives you that candy, you show all the signs of excitement and happiness because you got that piece of candy. Remember how you felt when you took that first lick. Even more so God is like the parent who was able to give us what we ask when we ask in faith? God is say aw my child is asking me to do something for them, God is please to answer our prayers. Most parents have the same pleasure when he or she gives to their child, the same with God.
It is a delightful thing when your child comes to you as the parent and ask you for something. You take into consideration their recent behavior whether or not they deserve what it is they are asking you for. Now most children are pretty smart and will also take into consideration their recent behavior as well, determining their chances whether they will receive that thing that they are asking for. If the parents recognizes the child has been on their best behavior, when the child ask for something, most parents will go out of their way to make that child happy to get them what they ask for. It is a delight, to parents we love to give to our children as with God, who loves to give to us: his children of faith and obedience. God instilled in us to give, that it was better to give than to receive. God loves to give to us when we his children are good and delightful in his sight, it is a pleasant thing to God to give to his children as it is a delightful thing to parents to give to their children especially when the child have showed signs of progress. But if the you have not shown any signs of progress and you still carry blood on your hands, you have been bad or disobedient, or wicked, you have been ugly and then here you come asking God for something expecting to get it, it is a detestable and an abomination. Its like God is saying because you have not followed my word, neither have you hearkened to his voice, you might as well be saying you don’t want anything from God. Praying a ceiling prayer. God is saying to many, you have not proved to me that you are worthy, you have not spent any time with me, you have not even told me you love me, you have not been kind to your brother or your sister, you have not been good to anyone in your family, but we want to make a partition before God. You are praying a ceiling prayer.
So we looked at verse eight which said that The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. We all know what wickedness is, which is not right with God. It is a pleasurable thing when you are right with God and you are praying. God has much delight in those prayers of the righteous. Let’s look also at verse 29 in that same book of Proverbs chapter 15. The Lord is far from the wicked; but he hearth the prayer of the righteous. We all want God to answer us, but if we can just get his attention just hear me I would be glad. If I know that he is hearing me its like I can talk to my husband and he may not be able to answer me the way I want him too, but just listen to me, just listen to me, I just need to talk, I might not need you to say a word, I may not need him to solve my problem, I may not need him to advise me, but if he will just listen. It does something for me! Thank God that he does more than just listen, God based on Ephesians above, abundantly all that we can ask or think is that a beautiful thing? That’s a beautiful thing.
The Effect Prayer Has on Us:
As the word of God says: The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much before the Lord. Oh how beautiful is the sound of God’s favorite praying. The spirit of worship open the heart of God to hear us when we pray or cry. God so much want to answer our every prayer and our every cry, but is hindered through sin our sin.
God loves to hear his own praying. It gives him great pleasure to hear us and answer us but the prayer of the wicked he is far from he will not pay them any attention, they might as well talk to the wall.
In order for our prayer to be effective we will need to abide by his words that give us power over our flesh.
Let’s look at Psalms 34:13, keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile, depart from evil and do good seek peace and pursue the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open until their cry. His ear are open unto our cry to their cry so check this out, God is not only listening to your prayers, but he is watching everything you do. He’s watching everything you do, so when you do come to God in prayer, he has watched you all day long, he knows what you did do and he knows what you didn’t do. So when you come to God in prayer you should already have that in mind that God knows what you have done all day long. So if you have not been right in your heart, there is such a wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit being inside of us that convicts us when we sin. Right in the moment of your decision to sin the Holy Ghost is right there and he is the one telling us not to do it. So when you go before God that night or that day or whenever you go to sleep be sure you repent before you ask him anything.
How To Pray
Pray with your whole heart, pray like you have already received what you ask for. You must believe that you receive then you will have what so ever you desire when you pray. John 14:13-15say: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it! If ye love me keep my commandments.
Confession and repentance is watering down and demolishing the concrete of sin in our life. Worship before God lets him know we honor and adore him as God. My first thing to do is confess, Lord I know I should not have done what I did today, I am sorry, will you forgive me? I sometimes ask God to search me and see if there be any wickedness in me. Then I will make my request known to the Lord by say: Now Lord I have a need, now that I have gotten things right with you, I would like for you Lord God to help me in my area of weakness, help me not to do that anymore. Lord my sin did not bring me any kind of pleasure doing wrong today Lord. I was not happy, I failed the devil got the best of me today, I let him, I gave way to the devil. Lord help forgive. God will be running to hear your prayer for its sincerity.
God tells us if we want our prayers heard we need to depart from evil and do good, keep they tongue from evil, cursing, and thy lips from speaking guile. Listen here if you want your prayers to be heard make sure you are watching what is coming out of your mouth that day.
So Psalms 34:13 says keep they tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile this is instructions if you want your prayers to get past the roof. Listen here again, if you want your prayer to pass the roof to pass the ceiling make sure that you are doing what God said keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile depart from evil and do good. God said we can do good, He just said Do It!
You can’t tell me that your friends are leading you, that is a lame excuse for not doing good. You will be held accountable for your own actions.
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"You Gotta Keep Dancin'
You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance; you have taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy. So I will not be silent; I will sing praise to you. Lord, you are my God; I will give you thanks forever.
Women of God we are going to take a close look why we need to keep on dancin. The other night as I was in fellowship with the Lord, he spoke to me saying, "I love to see you dance", I thought to myself, "really Lord", that was so precious for you to say that to me! I will keep on dancin for you! Due to the surmountable pressure we deal with daily in the home, on the job at the church we lose our joy! Some of us who deal with a rocky past that continues to make decisions for us today need the joy of God to set us free, if we can just get free from: The pain of the past then maybe I can break free to dance, pain it seems to be the common denominator of our human existence. It's part of life experience. But how can I break free of it when my mind reminds me of vivid pictures when I was a child. To avoid or dismiss it is to detour the essence of life itself. Life can be counted on to provide all the pain that any of us might need. But then there is Jesus.
I want to talk to you also about past interruptions in our lives like molestation and child abuse, purposed injuries and neglect, rejection by parents, friends and love ones, bitterness and abusive marriages; women and men who have been beaten and bruised, who experience envy and jealousy daily on the job and in the home. Curses that have followed our generation for years, like broken marriages, adultery, material idolatry, drugs addiction and dysfunctional families.
Let me share with you some of my research with you on some of these issues:
Child Molestation
Each year an estimated 100,000 U.S children suffer some form of sexual abuse. The average age of the victim is 10 years old. The majority of these cases the abuser is often a parent, relative, baby-sitter or close family friend. Children give in to adult's sexual advances because they fear losing their love, or fear their punishment. Other forms of abuse include physical violence, emotional cruelty and deprivation and physical neglect. Saints Ross Cheit of Brown Education Administration conducted a survey for the George Street Journal, and discovered this information; Many child molestation cases are hidden from the public with the help of the law. Certain states law requires all records involving cases of child molestation to be sealed. And that about 70% of those found guilty did not serve jail time. Saints, God sees in the dark places.
People of God did you know: Domestic Violence
Battering is the major cause of injury to women, resulting in more injuries to women than auto accidents, muggings and rapes combined.An act of adult domestic violence occurs every 9 seconds, more frequently than any other crime. Half of all violent crimes committed by relatives' involved spouses or ex-spouses. Of all female victims of homicide in the U.S., 30% percent were killed by husbands or boyfriends. It is estimated that 25% of workplace problems such as absenteeism, lower productivity turnover and excessive use of medical benefits are due to family violence.
The Lord say I have the answer for you to day, I gonna turn your sadness into joy today, do you want my joy, stand to your feet, tell the Lord you need Him to day. He says you won't have to feel guilty no more, you want have to feel isolated, no more, you want have to wonder who you can trust no more, you want be emotionally tore-up I am gonna restore you. You want be economically dependent I am gonna make you independent. I gonna build your self esteem and you will have self-confidence when I get through with you. When I get through with your attitude you gonna have to go and buy yourself a new dress, Glory to God, The Lord says he will replace the anger with joy, peace. I going to take that embarrassment and set you up on high, and where you where ashamed, it to shall be removed, it will be replaced with confidence and holy boldness and you will know that I love you, says the Lord. I gonna set up in a high place says the Lord that all may know that I love you. As I speak says the Lord I am wiping away the tears from your eyes. Where you were crying in the night I turning it into joy.
When you leave this place today you will be endued with power. Power from on high, power to dance today, dance before the Lord children, His Hand is going forth right now, touching you, healing you. Just receive from His Spirit, He is healing you right now. God say's my power is in this place today, I'm sending my word to heal you today. Fear not says the Lord, I have seen in the dark places, I seen when you were going these situation. I the Lord have made a way for you to escape. I love you today I want to rub you into righteousness. I was there with you, I was walking with you, how do you think you came out? Feel my peace in this place. Say's the Lord. No more mood swings no more instability, God say he is stabilizing you today. No more, no more, no more oppression, no more depression, no more feeling ashamed it wasn't your fault, it wasn't your fault.
I heard the song, "We Fall Down but We Get Up"
This message is a reply to that song by Donnie McClurklin, this is what we do when we get up!
I know the title of the workshop is called "We Fall Down But We Get Up, but I want to ask a question today. WHAT DO YOU DO ONCE YOU GET UP? I don't think America knows the answer to this question today!
My response to this question today would be the same response that Jesus gave to Peter when he said if it is you Lord bid me to come; and Jesus response was COME! And that we take in account of the things that could have happened that did not happen! We need to come to Jesus and say thank you Lord. Saints of God we need to COME to Jesus, It is not for us to go back to our old ways once we have gotten up from falling down. If American knew what to do when those buildings fell down in New York and terrorist attack the Pentagon in Washington we would have not gone back into our ways.
But God wants us to come to Him and say thank you Lord for picking us up again.
Message for Oct. 27, 2001 Samaria Baptist Church. One problem I find in this passage with Peter walking on the water, is that, "Peter cried out Lord save me!" But he never once said Thank you Lord. For picking me up and not allowing the water nor the wind to overtake me!
He never said thank you for grabbing my hand in the nick of time! He never said thank you Lord for calming the sea in my life. Or thank you Lord for making the storms that has been raging all around me to cease!
It's important that we do what the Bible said for us to do and that is in all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. We need to begin to thank the Lord for allowing us to get back up again. We need to thank the Lord for calming our fears and giving us courage.
We need to thank the Lord allowing around 95% of those who were in the world trade center come out alive. Thank you Lord for letting 97% of those who in the Pentagon come out alive.
Thank you Lord for having mercy on me when I didn't have mercy on someone else.
We need to thank the Lord for not allowing us to lose our minds when the calamities of life began to rage against us!
We need to come to Jesus and tell the Lord thank you Lord that when I fell down and got back up again that our Lord Jesus was still right there! Thank you Lord for never leaving or forsaking me while I was in my fallen state. I don't know about you today, what you have to thank the Lord for. But if I were you today I would be like those men who were still on the boat, they recognize who the Lord was and came and worshipped him, saying, of a truth thou art the Son of God. What has the Lord done for you today? Did he ever tell you to come! Then don't you forget to say Thank you Lord for giving me sense to come to you after I gotten back up again.
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Children of Destiny
We create our tomorrow by what we dream of today!
1 King 3:7 O Lord God, you have let me succeed my father as king, even though I am very young and don't know how to rule. Here I am among the people you have chosen to be your own, a people who are so many that they cannot be counted. So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of your?
The Lord was please that Solomon had asked for this, and so he said to him, "Because you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly, instead of long life for yourself or riches or the death of your enemies, I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again. I will also give you what you have not asked for: all your life you will have wealth and honor, more than that of any other king. And if you obey me and keep my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life."
Let's look at Proverbs 1:7,8 and Proverbs 3:1-14 Let's talk about some serious subjects
Drugs
Sex
Alcohol
Stealing, Lying, Cheating and Mischief
Obedience to Parents/Teachers
Love
Character
Blessings
Flesh
Eyes
Tongue
Leech/Proverbs 30:15 A leech has two Daughters and both are named Give Me
Scriptures on Children's Duties
Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is know by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether
it be right.
Proverbs 10:1 A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is theheavinesss of his mother.
Proverbs 1:10 Proverbs 28:7 Proverbs 8:32,33 Proverbs 22:6 Proverbs 22:15 Proverbs 23:15
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hearinstructionn, and be wise, and refuse it not. Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life. Children just naturally do silly, careless things, but a good spanking will teach them how to behave. My child, if you become wise, I will be very happy. I will be proud when I hear you speaking words of wisdom. Proverbs 23:24 Let your father and mother be proud of you; give your mother that
happiness. Proverbs 29:15 Proverbs 29:21 Isaiah 49:15 Matthew 10:21 2 Timothy 3:15
Correction and discipline are good for children. If they have their own way they will make their mothers ashamed of them. If you give your servants everything they want from childhood on, some day they will take over everything you own. Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And that from a child thou hast know the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Proverbs 30:17 Proverbs 29:17 Genesis 8:21 1 Samuel 17:33 Job 29:4
Job 36:14 Psalms 25:7 Psalms 75:5 Psalms 71:17 Psalms 89:45 Psalms 127:4 Psalms 128
Psalms 144:12 Proverbs 2:17 Ecclesiastes 11:9
If you make fon of your father or despise your mother in her old age, you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens. Discipline your children and you can always be proud of them. They will never give you reason to be ashamed. For the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. For thou are but a youth As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle. They die in youth, and their life is among the unclean Remember not the sins of my youth. Thou art my trust from my youth.
Thou hast taught me from my youth. The days of his youth hast thou shortened, covered him with shame The sons a man has when hi is young are like arrows in a soldier's hand, Happy is the man who has many such arrows. Happy are those who obey the Lord who live by his commands. Your work will provide for your need; you will be happy and prosperous. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your home, and your children will be like young olive trees around your table. A man who obeys the Lord will surely be blessed like this. May the Lord bless you from Zion! May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life! May you live to see your grandchildren.
That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth.
Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let they heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for childhood and youth are vanity. Remember now your Creator in the days of thy youth. 1 Timothy 4:12 Ephesians6:l-3 Colossians 3:20 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou example of the believers, in word in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this right. Honour they father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise: Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Luke 18:20 Honour thy father and thy mother Deuteronomy 27:16 Cursed by he that setteth light by his father or his mother Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father Deuteronomy 5:16 Honour they father and they mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Proverbs 6:20 Proverbs 13:1 Isiah54:13
My son, keep they father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother
A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. And all they children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Prayer for the children
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and enkindle in our youth the fire of your love. Send forth thy Spirit and he shall create desire in our youth today. Renew the face of the earth with youth that will love you and not compromise. Oh God who instruct the hearts of the faithful, by the light of the Holy Spirit, help our children to have right judgement in all things. Help us, the parents to rejoice in the consolation of our prayer through Christ Jesus. Father fill the hearts of our children with a renewing and fresh fulfilling of the word of God, that they might know indeed that you are God Almighty. We pray that we and our children come to an increased awareness of you in our lives. We bless your name today and exalt you. And in the ability and in our strength we praise your name. Thank you Lord for the precious anointing that will destroy the works of Satan. Lord we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with all knowledge from on high tonight as we seek your face in your word.*******
Why You Not Dressed For the Wedding
Our text today mil come from Matthew 22:2-14 Let's read what it says:
Text: Why are you not dressed for the wedding?
As we investigate the reason for not being dressed for this special occasion; we want to look at four points to reference. Where we might find some solutions to this important issues in the church.
1 . Verse 2 Why marriage is important to the church.
2. Verse 3-10 How treating others determines our outcome.
3. Verse 11-12 What you have to say for yourself.
4. Verse 13-14 What God has to say about you.
As we look closely at these four points of references, please pay close attention to these seven characters in this story:
1. King -God
2. Son - Jesus
3. Servant/ Armies - Angels
4. Invited guests - Religious/Jews - Family members
5. Other Servants - Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Pastors
6. Good/Bad people - Gentiles
7. One man - you or me
The King of glory prepares a wedding for his Son Jesus and sends out his servants the angels of God to call the invited guest, the religious people, the jews, the chosen generation to this wedding, they refuse. The King really wants them to come to this wedding because everything is ready and prepared a lot of hard work had gone into the preparation. He sends other servants, people of their own likeness to them. The invited guest refuse again, yet this time beating and killing the servants. King gets angry and send in a army to come against these servant slayers. King sends other servants to go gather other people, who were not original invited to the wedding, so that the wedding hall may be fully furnished. Servants goes out finds people good and bad to come to the wedding. Kings comes in see's one man not dressed appropriately for the occasion, asked him how he got in dressed this way. Man gives no answer. He is cast into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Why marriage is so important.
Verse 2
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.
In the day of old, the fathers were responsible for finding a wife or bride for his Son. In our case scenario, God choose the world to be the Bride to his Son; that we may be related to him by marriage. And we could truly call him father, as the daughter in law did out of respect to the father in law. At present, the marriage of the Church to Christ has not been consummated. She is to be living as a virgin betrothed to her future husband, belonging to Christ under marriage contract. The Bridegroom has sought out his Bride in love and is even now sanctifying her that she might be without spot or blemish when He will present the Church to Himself in splendor. And then the Spirit of the Bride will say Come Lord Jesus even so, come Lord Jesus Amen. Psalms 89:3 say for I have made a covenant with my chosen.
Now marriage in the natural is the most intimate of unions into which, by personal consent, one man and one woman enter on a basis of mutual love and fidelity. It is nourished by sexual intimacy and perfected in a life long partnership of united endeavor. It is a part of the very order of creation. God revealed to the man his need for a wife and a woman's need for a husband.
Now we are getting into how we treat others Verse 3-8 v3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. If you were invited to a wedding, and it was someone you knew or was related to, why would you not come? What is more important in this life than family and friends in God that would prevent you from coming to this wedding?
Most weddings you attend, it's someone you know. Or perhaps it's a friend of a friend. Or you have an idea who's getting married and you don't mind going when invited, when it doesn't interrupt with your plans. Well let's turn the table a little bit, and tell me how would you feel if you were the one getting married, and invited lots of your friends and family, and you believed they all would come, for one reason or another! You believed they would come, because maybe they were indebted to you by money or friendship. Maybe you believed they would come because you have known them a long time, or because you just believed they would come because you asked them too! Maybe you believed they would come because they are related to you by blood or by marriage or by adoption. Maybe you believed they would come because you built up a rapport with them. Maybe you know them a long time ago, and lost contact with them, and seen them again for the first time in a long time and invited them to come to your wedding.
You just believed they would come for one reason or another! How would you feel if nobody you invited showed up? How would you feel? Lets look at the rest of the text to see how this king felt.
v4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fallings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. He asked them again to come; letting them know that everything was ready all they had to do was come. I'm reminded of Jesus when he, himself was invited to a wedding, in Cana of Galilee. I can imagine that Jesus could have had the perfect excuse not to come to this wedding. With an excuse like, "I have to go and heal the woman with the issue of blood today, or their is a man whose son is demon possessed I must attend to him. Or there is a man filled with legions of demons I must go and set him free! Or there is a man who is dead I must raise him to life again. He could have gave many legitimate reasons not to go to this wedding. As I read John 2:2-11,1 realized that Jesus also brought along with him, his disciples. He did not show up alone, he brought others with him. Who are you bringing to heaven with you? I noticed Jesus performed one of his first miracles while at this wedding, which showed he cared for the people who were getting married.
v5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.
Luke 14:16-24 (Read) What excuse will you give to the man and woman of God why you don't want to go to heaven? Remember that the reply you give could be your last one!
v6 And the renant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
v7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Be careful how you treat God's servants. For the word of the Lord say's touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm. Unless you want the living God and his armies against you. For it's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a living God. For his a consuming fir, and he will consume you.
v8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Then the King said the harvest is plenty but the labors are few.
v9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mark 16:15-16
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. lO So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. When the servants went out they found bad and good people to come to the wedding. People were changed when they excepted their invitation. The scripture says the servants went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the work with signs following. Now we are dealing with what we have to say for yourself. vll & 12 And when the king came into see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment And he saith unto him, Friend how earnest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
I had to ask myself two questions,
(1) how did this man get into that place and not be dressed, (2) why didn't he say something?
I reserve within myself this resulation:
(1) I personally believe that the man must have snuck in the wedding, maybe through an open window or through another way. Thinking with all those people in there, no one will notice me! But John 10: 1 says "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber". And we know that no thief or robber have a place in the kingdom of heaven. For Jesus said I am the door. And no one could come unto the Father but by him. Saints let me tell you, you are not going to be able to stand before God in the midst of his saints without a wedding garment on.
(2) He knew he had just got busted! His heart was pounding profusely and the palms of his hands was sweating. He knew in his heart all he had to do was change clothes before he can to this wedding and walk through that door. He was hard headed and didn't want to do the right thing which was going through Christ. He figured he didn't have to accept Jesus as his personal Saviour, he didn't have to pray, he didn't have to accept the Holy Spirit into his life to help live right. He could do it his own way.
We have many excuses why we can't come to the wedding in heaven: I don't believe I did not have anything to wear I did not have a way to get to the church ~ I have too much going on right now I don't have to go to church to be right with God. You can't find a good preacher now a days
The preachers are have babies with every women in the church. All they want is your money
My momma use to go to church. My uncle is a preacher. I'm a Baptist, or Methodist, or Pentecostal I'm not ready, maybe next week have to get right first I don't have time for God
Some man wrote the bible I was abused by a preacher when I was a child. You can't trust nobody these days. What about all the people dying in the land, what kind of God would let this happen I trusted God once, but that was a long time ago I'm too old or to young to change or serve God. Last we deal with what God has to say about us v!3 & 14 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen For he shall have judgment without mercy. James 2:13 Have you been called to be apart of this church and go to heaven? Or have you been chosen of God to be apart of this church and go to heaven?
One way you know a baby is alive is through it’s crying. Let the Holy Spirit cry out in you!
You can’t be bound in the flesh and walk in the supernatural. God sometimes does bless ignorance. In order to walk in the supernatural realm of God you must be free from sin
Why call me Lord, Lord and don’t do the things I say do!
Bless the Lord
*******
Let's Straighten It Out
II Kings 20:1-6 and II Kings 18:4-8
I want to talk to you about a man who was able to straighten out a problem in his life. Through reminding God how he walked before Him, in truth and with a loyal heart and how he have done what is good in the Lords sight. And the word said he did what was right in the sight of the Lord.
This man's name was Hezekiah meaning strong one. Hezekiah was a man of order, that's why when the prophet Isaiah told him to get his house in order he cried because he knew about order. As a matter of fact I want to outline the order I saw in Hezekiah's life as King of Judah. And this is the order I noticed in Hezekiah's life:
1. Removed
2. Trusted
3. Clave
4. Smote
5. Prayed
18:4 The first thing he did was destroy and remove the things of old.
1. The local shrines -As we need to stop going to places when God set us free and lifted us up. And go to places God calls holy.
2. He tore down the images of foreign gods -We need to tear down every image in our lifethat does not represent the image of God. Andrealize that we are made in the image of GodAlmighty. And we need to tear down everyself-right image we have built up aroundourselves and align ourselves with God.
3. He cut down the sacred pole for worshippingthe goddess Asherah. Which symbolizes a treeof life. Well I'm here to tell you there is onlyone tree of life that tree is Jesus.
4. He also smashed the bronze snake Moses hadmade-
Which God had Moses to make because the people of Israel had spoke against God and Moses by complaining. So the Fiery of the Lord sent serpents to bit the people and many of the people died. Then Moses prayed for the people once they realized that they had sinned against the Lord their God. Then the Lord told Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and it shall be that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it they shall live. But it is not that God does not want us to look at a pole for our salvation we must look at the Son of God for our salvation as these people where beginning to worship at the pole instead of worshipping God and that's why Hezekiah smashed it down. As we should smash down all the things in our life that hold us captive. I say let's straighten it out!
18:5 Second thing Hezekiah did was trust God.
And because he trusted the Lord and was completely faithful, and obeyed the laws of the Lord. God said there will be no other king like him neither before or after him. And therefore we need to trust the Lord in our life so that the Lord will make us successful in everything we do as he did for Hezekiah. Also that God might say about us that there shall not be another like you neither before you or after you.
18:6 Thirdly Hezekiah clave to the lord and departed not from following Him, but kept the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him and he prospered wherever he went, he also rebelled against the King of Assyria, and served him not. We need to clave unto the Lord with all of our power and all of our might that we might be strong in the Lord, resisting the enemy regardless to who our family has aligned with, because some of our family are aligned with the devil like Hezekiah's father Ahaz who was aligned with the King of Assyria who was an enemy to God. Are we following the man or woman of God who God has placed over our lives until his return?
18:8 Fourthly Hezekiah smote the enemy who
threatened his life and the life of his city. We need to be strong in the God we serve, that we might smote/slay our enemy when he comes against of faith when he comes against what God is doing in our life.
20:2 And the last thing in Hezekiah's life I noticed was how he prayed to God. And how effective his prayer was. And not only that he prayed a prayer that was effective. I noticed in this prayer to God how Hezekiah reminded God of his life before Him. God heard this man's prayer. His prayer was heard because he led a wholesome life before the Lord. Because he lead an orderly life. God didn't wait an hour, a day or a week or even a year, to answer. God answered him immediately before the man of God could live the courts of the palace, the Lord Jehovah sent him back and responded to this wholesome man, this orderly man of God. His prayer was answered expediently for the Glory of God. Tell someone let's straighten it out!
Additional Words of Encouragement
Destructive emotions, such as anger, hatred and jealousy, don't hurt others; they hurt you. They can make your life miserable. They can make you sick. Forgive everyone who ever hurt you - really forgive him - and then forgive your self. Forgive and forget. Get rid of it.
Listen your attitude towards others determines their attitude toward you. The success we achieve in life will depend largely on how well we relate to others.
Before you can achieve the kind of life you want, you must think, act, talk, and conduct yourself in all your affairs, as would the person you wish to become. Keep a mental picture of that person before you as often as you can during the day.
The higher you go in any organization of value, the better the attitudes you'll find.
One of the deepest craving of human being is for recognition and self-esteem - to be needed, to feel important, to be recognized and appreciated.
Radiate the attitude of well being and confidence. You'll find all sorts of good things happening to you.
Lastly, treat everyone with whom you come in contact as the most important person on earth.
by Dorise Dixon
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