Month: February 2017

If the question regarding having faith was asked the answers would vary. However, the truth is that all of us have faith because we were all given a measure. Some of us choose to exercise our faith in God whereas other exert their faith in people, things, places, etc. But the bottom line is that we all have it. Now we should all know that the biblical definition of faith is “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Basically, faith is to trust completely in a person or thing. To see results, however, requires a certain amount of faith.

In Matthew 17 a story was told of a boy who was demon-possessed and could not get deliverance not even from Jesus’ disciples. When the boy was brought to Jesus, He rebuked the demons, and they left the boy. The disciples pondered as to why they were unable to do the same thing.  Jesus responded, “You do not have enough faith!” What? How could the disciples been walking with Jesus all this time, performing miracles and do not have enough faith? Preposterous one might say.  But the fact of the matter was that they did not have enough faith even though they were a follower of Christ. Why did they not have enough faith? Maybe their faith had been eroded by life’s challenges. Whatever the reason was we don’t know and could offer several speculative assumptions. Nevertheless, the fact remains that they did not have enough faith.

One may think by Jesus’ response that great faith would be required to perform such a task. But that was not the case. Jesus continued speaking and stated that if the disciples had faith as small as a mustard seed they would be able to command the mountain to move and it would be removed. If they could have faith as small as a mustard seed, then nothing would be impossible. A mustard seed if one of the smallest seed and that is all the faith that is required to see desires manifested. Remember with that amount of faith NOTHING is impossible. What do you need to have faith for?

Prayer today: Lord whatever circumstance stands before us like a mountain I pray that we will exert the faith to speak to these situations so that we can see them removed. May we stand upon the principles of Your word knowing that you cannot lie. May the things that we have long desire to see manifest in our lives suddenly. Today we are forwarding all our issues to you and releasing doubt and fear. Amen.

2.28.17 Dr.R.A.

As humans, I must admit that we are more inclined to trust in things that are tangible. We like to have the assurance that we can see and feel things to believe in it. This is because it gives a certitude that the thing actually does exist. Due to this fact, we sometimes are prone to suffer from misplaced trust.

The Bible in the book of Psalm states “some trust in Chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Now for some, it may seem logical to trust in chariots and horses rather than a name.  Chariots have wheels and can travel at what could be considered high speed. It represents prestige, wealth, and status. It also speaks to durability. Horses, on the other hand,  speaks to strength, balance, and speed. Whereas what does a name speak to? Well, what we have to bear in mind it is not just any name that our trust should be placed in – it is the name of the Lord our God. The name speaks to identity. However, when it comes to God, there is much more in His name than identity.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower where we can run into and be safe from all harm. The name of the Lord our God is a refuge and fortress. The name of God is strong, mighty, powerful. At His name, every knee shall bow. At the mention of His name demons tremble and flee. The name of the Lord is all encompassing. Whatever we need we can find it in His name. Additionally, if horses and chariots are what we need, we can find it in His name also. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him. He is the one that gives man knowledge to gain wealth. therefore, we should put our trust in the name of the Lord and not in material things. Come on, do not let things that you have acquired cause you to have misplaced trust. Never esteem the gift above the giver of the gift!

Chariots can be destroyed or stolen. Horses too can die or become stolen. However, the name of the Lord our God remaineth forever. There is stability in God! He is the giver of all good gifts. Put your trust in Him!

2/27/17 Dr.R.A.

If any of us should say that we have never told a lie before then, we would know for sure that that person is a liar. People tell lies for different reasons. Some persons lie because they may be afraid of the repercussions of their actions, whereas some persons lie to make themselves look good. As a matter of fact, individuals lie so much that classification of lies has been developed.

Some persons, however, lie for seemingly no reason at all, they could be classified as habitual liars. Their new names should be Pinocchio.

Telling a lie whatever our justification maybe is just wrong!

Telling lies is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. It may seem to help but leads to greater harm. As temporary solutions usually result in permanent problems. Telling lies about ourselves is wrong. However, telling lies about others is even more dangerous.

The Bible lets us know that “Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.” Proverbs 25:18

 All of the above scenarios create great harm to an individual and the probability of the person dying from these actions is substantial. There is no need to lie about others to “tear them down” so that we can build up ourselves. Our goal should always be to lift up others. In building ourselves we should build others also. Therefore we should endeavor to speak the truth always.

There is a little memory gem that I learned from my grandmother. Something I have implemented in my life over the years. It says “speak the truth and speak it ever, let it cost what it will. For he who hide the wrong he does, does the wrong thing still.” It simply means that no matter what the consequence one should always speak the truth. If we lie then we will continue to do wrong.  It is a fact that whenever a lie is told then another has to be told to cover for the first. It is like a chain reaction of lies that will be unleashed. As such, to relieve ourselves of unnecessary burdens speak the truth. SPEAK THE TRUTH ALWAYS! Speak the truth also in love!

2.21.17 Dr.R.A.