Let’s pray together:

To God be the glory for all He has done! Thank you Heavenly Father, for you have gifted us another day of life. Praise Jesus! Therefore, we are pressing onward for there is work to do. Amen.

We’re grateful for your presence, your steadfast love, and your grace and mercy. We truly adore you and we honor you.

Jesus, there’s so much devastation surrounding this land. But help us to focus on the light. There’s a war of turmoil, uncertainty, natural disasters, planned disasters, and the list goes on and on. But Jesus, you’re still on the throne.

There’s war occurring in the spiritual realm. But we stand ten toes deep as children of Christ. We won’t budge and we won’t waver. Let our prayers with the righteous and mighty right hand of Jesus shake the foundation of any evil entity or any evil altar that’s got our name on it to crumble to the ground. Solidify our positions established by Christ Jesus to embrace our God given title, and move with integrity to fight for more souls leading to Christ and not competitiveness or the tearing down of our fellow brothers and sisters. Jesus, titles can be removed and positions can be taken, but a heart and soul for Christ lives forevermore. Any daggers sent our way shall fall like wet firecrackers. We rebuke and bind the tongue of those who speak word curses over your children that try to hinder your blessings or block our destiny. We’re moving onward and upward through Christ Jesus. We are victorious and triumphant!

We speak destiny fulfillment according to your will and your way. We speak ultimate power and strength in the midst of adversity. We speak a turning of positive events as more people seek your throne and your saving grace. More unbelievers transformed to believers. Unsaved to saved and thriving in a life that speaks righteousness and Holiness.

Jesus, help to heal and unify us.

Help us to self reflect. Remind us that it is You, Our Almighty God, that has charge over our lives and our journey. No man has that power for You have all power! All praises to you Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Watch God Work!

What an amazing weekend and new week it has been! As we embark on another new year and commemorated another MLK Day, let’s reflect on his legacy for a bit.

One thing I admire about the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is that his focus was always on the work. His focus was on establishing peace and fighting for equality, equity, and freedom for all people. And, He incorporated the Word of God to help lead and continue to guide those fighting alongside him to ignite faith and hope.

Unfortunately, not everyone believed in his philosophy of peace and unity. Some simply did not agree and others simply didn’t like him because he was an upright, black man with such a powerful voice, sophisticated words, wisdom, and owned the room because of it. God truly blessed him with a mighty gift. There was so much evilness surrounding him, outside his camp and I can only presume some adversity inside his camp from time to time, but he continued to focus on the light.

In Psalm 27 Verse 1 (Psalm 27:1) New King James Version, it says “The Lord is my light and my salvation, Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Let us focus on the light. Jesus is the light of the world. Therefore, we focus on Jesus and Jesus only. Focus on His Word, focus on His love and protection through ups and downs, focus on Him when it seems like all is lost. Just focus on Him and He will direct your path. Again, do not waver. Waver means ‘to lose strength, to lose determination, to lose sight of what’s most important.’ Remember the scripture, “I can do ALL things through Christ that strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).” “Them that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).” Thank you Jesus, for your Word is sovereign.

But, what if I waver?

Let’s look at Psalm 25 Verses 15-22 NKJV (Psalm 25:15-22)

If you find yourself wavering. For it says,

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,

For I am desolate and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart have enlarged;

Bring me out of my distresses!

Look on my affliction and my pain,

And forgive all my sins.

Consider my enemies, for they are many;

And they hate me with cruel hatred.

Keep my soul, and deliver me;

Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I wait for You.

Redeem Israel, O God,

Out of all their troubles!

In the NKJV study bible it says that “integrity” is often mistaken as one’s

reputation or an external appearance. Not quite. Let’s keep reading.

Psalm 26 Verses 1-3 says;

Vindicate me, O Lord,

For I have walked in my integrity.

I have also trusted in the Lord;

I shall not slip.

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;

Try my mind and my heart.

For your lovingkindness is before my eyes,

And I have walked in Your truth.

What is integrity?

In the NKJV study bible, in one particular aspect about integrity it states; “a person’s integrity silences critics (1 Peter 2:13-17).” Integrity provides a “mind set” toward righteousness and an abiding intent to do the will of God and to walk in His ways.” Meaning you’re doing your best each day to follow God’s Word, to heed His voice, and to do what’s moral and spiritually upright. But how will you know, if you don’t know? How will you change?

This life’s journey comes with bumps and bruises from falling and getting back up. In Psalm 25:15 it says, “He will pluck your feet out of the net.” Hallelujah! Yes, come get me Jesus because I need help! We get ourselves tangled up all the time. But, God knows the integrity of our person. We try to stay on the path of righteousness according to His Word and His way. It says in Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.” Yes, I messed up; study me Jesus. Remember my heart posture toward you Jesus. The Hebrews understood that (according to the NKJV study bible) integrity of heart guides a person into right and rewarding situations (Proverbs 11:3). The key word is ‘guides.’ This is the beautiful walk we have with the Holy Spirit. Because He guides us, He leads us. You won’t be an overnight success, but eventually, you will get to the place God wants you to be if you continue to lean and trust in Him. Focus on Him. Focus on the Light.

Let His great works that He has bestowed upon us shine bright to help light the path for others so they may find their way.

Keep Your Focus

In the wonderous story of Nehemiah is a story of great resilience and total dependence on Jesus and dedicated time in prayer. And he at that time around 445 B.C., was an appointed cupbearer (governor) in the Persian royal court to King Artaxerxes I. Nehemiah heard about the destruction of Jerusalem and was truly moved and saddened so much that he wanted to help rebuild it. Although Nehemiah had achieved such a high position, like Moses, he did not care about the luxuries; he stepped down to help his people rebuild. Therefore, King Artaxerxes I, as this third influx or group of Jews in the city, issued the decree to Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. (Reference: NKJV Study Bible)

We find Nehemiah drawing the attention of his enemies (Sanballat and Tobiah) when he begins to gather with his people to rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah was able to speak a new wind into his people and they worked together to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. His enemies did all they could to divert him from his tasks and leave him with a sense of unbelief that the Jews could rebuild the walls of Jerusalem to keep out paganism and keep the enemies away from their city. (Reference: NKJV Study Bible)

In Nehemiah Chapter 4 Verse 1, it begins with Sanballat hearing about the rebuilding of the wall and it says he became furious and very indignant. It reads; “But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and indignant, and mocked the Jews.”

Doesn’t this sound familiar? There’s nothing new under the sun. The mocking, the questioning. Who do you think you are? Oh, you think you’re better than me? They can’t do that! Planting seeds of doubt. But, let’s keep reading…

In Nehemiah Chapter 4 Verse 2 – 3, it says, And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble (weak) Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish — stones that are burned?”

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.” The audacity! Scoffing and mocking at the people while observing the ruins of Jerusalem.

We do understand that this is when the greatest mockers surface and stand front and center. It’s when it looks like your life is in shambles and they desire for you to stay there. But Hallelujah! God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore! We don’t go by what it looks like, we keep our focus on the work and hold steadfast to our faith like Nehemiah. Keep the faith. Pray for everyone and watch God work!

Nehemiah, along with his fellow brothers and sisters, other Jews, returned to a dilapidated Jerusalem. All were returning to their home of Jerusalem after being exiled for being disobedient to God.

In Nehemiah 6 Verses 1-9 (Nehemiah 6:1-9); it says

Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.

So I sent messengers to them, saying “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?

But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner. Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. “In it was written:

It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah! Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Victory in Jesus!

In Nehemiah Chapter 6 Verse 15 it says; “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened (crushed or disappointed) in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.” Oh, wow! One must ask, why didn’t Sanballat and Tobiah pitch in to help? If they couldn’t help, why didn’t they just pray for them? Hmm. Sometimes God will send us through the storm as a test of our faith and to show not only us how strong and resilient we are through Him. But to show onlookers just how mighty God is just in case they have forgotten.

God indeed strengthened their hands. It is through God that we are victorious and triumphant!

Nehemiah was a man of prayer. Nehemiah’s prayers ranged from the quick “arrow prayer” (Nehemiah 2:4) and one of the longest recorded prayers in the Bible (Nehemiah 9). In Nehemiah 9, we find the Levites (one of the 12 tribes of Israel) leading this long prayer, where the people of Jerusalem were adorned in sackcloth with dust atop their heads, shouting prayers of praise, repentance, and thankful for deliverance. They were so thankful to God for His continued blessings over their lives, even through their disobedience. They honored Him through fervent prayer.

God’s Gifts

Each one of us has been gifted a great talent or natural ability from God to be utilized in the Earth to build up His kingdom. We must all reflect on what it is that we’re doing to bring glory to the throne of God. Are the choices we’re making bringing glory to Jesus? Are we moving and marching forward while seeking the voice of God like Nehemiah? Are we praying like Nehemiah? Surely, with this in mind God will strengthen and bless His children in a mighty way. Keep living! Live strong and mighty. Breathe fiercely with the booming power of prayer through the Holy Spirit. Stay focused on the good works He has already planted in you. Focus on Jesus. Focus on the work. Focus on the Light.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV says; “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/78209-but-i-know-somehow-that-only-when-it-is-dark

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/78209-but-i-know-somehow-that-only-when-it-is-dark