Can you walk a mile in My shoes?

I love shoes. They can make or break an outfit depending on the condition and color. Shoes in poor condition no matter if they are running shoes, sandals, or dress shoes, bring the wrong attention to your outfit! Whereas; shoes in excellent condition with a pristine suit or dress polish the look; and people can't help but gaze at how put together you are!

. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. . . . . .  (Psalm 23 KJV)

Shoes are the last thing we put on when getting dressed and the first thing we take off after a long day! If you hold a position that requires you to stand long periods of time, your shoes let you know if they are comfortable or not because your feet hurt, your back hurts and your legs ache!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (I Peter 5:6-11 ESV)

Who knew the foundation of our body, if not properly dressed with the right type of shoe, can cause so much pain and discomfort to the whole body!

The bottom of your feet could affect what's going on in other areas of your body. On each foot there are over 7,000 nerve endings called reflexes that correspond to every organ and system

Our feet are very significant to our body, if this was not so, then why did Jesus wash the disciples feet at the Last Supper. Yes, Jesus demonstrated the importance of serving, which we are all called to do; but it also signifies cleansing ~ even if your whole body has been washed!

A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. (Isaiah 35:8 NASB)

What we call cleansing is washing our physical body to rid it of dirt, bacteria, and germs the body can encounter throughout the day; however, Jesus was speaking of the spiritual cleansing Christians should habitually demonstrate by serving to show Jesus' love towards them! Without a strong mind, body and spirit, no one will be able to withstand the journey Christ has set before them to win souls and baptize born again believers in shoes that are worn and tattered! 

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” (John 13:1-12 ESV)

Born A Sinner!

By nature we are born sinners due to Adam's disobedience in the Garden! But through Jesus' obedience to the Cross, we are made righteous!

A child learns at a very early age if they have a temper tantrum, it gets their parent's attention; and many get the very thing their parents said they could not have.  It is not learned behavior, but our sinful nature! As a parent, we are to correct the behavior in Godly love, and be consistent with what you will and will not accept! Do not take this out of context when an infant cries, because that is there only way to communicate to us they are hungry, sick, have a dirty diaper, etc. If a child is not corrected of right and wrong, the behavior can escalate into a level that is harmful to others and themselves!

Sin has damaging consequences, as you just previously read, when we are not mindful of it! Our bodies need food for nourishment and to maintain our strength and health; yet over eating is sin! It can develop into obesity that limits your movement, deteriorates your health and strength, and your quality of life! Another sin the world has come to view as insignificant is sex! It too has damaging effects when misused and leads to death! God made sex for our pleasure between a husband and wife!

I can't stop there, I have to add one more truth of our sinful nature! It's gossip; constant negative talk of loved ones, friends, strangers, etc. Ninety-nine percent of the time, people who are hurting inside do not know how to handle their afflictions so they do it the best way the know how ~ anger, lying, addiction, or abuse. Our spiritual responsibility is to give it to God in prayer, stay in love, and watch Him work in ways you could not have imagined! Prayer is powerful! 

However, if you are prompted by the Holy Spirit to help, then do so! BUT PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DEGRADING THEM! We have no idea what they are experiencing at home!

We war against the flesh daily - sin and righteousness! For example: You receive unexpected money. The flesh is saying, "I can buy that white suit now, but the Spirit says, I want you to pay your delinquent light bill! Your sinful nature tells you to do something for the self, spirit commands you to put others ahead of your needs and do what is right for the household!

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21 NKJV)

Jesus struggled also before He went to the Cross, but in His agony and struggle, He obeyed the Holy Spirit and never sinned! Therefore, when we believe Jesus died for our sins and choose to be baptized, all our sins are forgiven!

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 5 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:13-17 NIV)

Judgment Day!

Upon reading the Word, I truly can learn from our ancestors of how they truly followed the Divine example of Jesus Christ in all of His ways and actions! Every day I get a revelation of something I have previously read; however, God reveals it to me when He knows my spiritual maturity is at another level to obtain the true meaning!

I know many of you have heard people say, “Don’t judge me”! I did not realize how powerful judgment is in the Bible; and how serious it is that we misuse it and abuse it! Know this, “judgment” is authorized to only one being – Jesus Christ to determine our fate when we leave this earth and His judgment is determined by the good deeds we do unto others; if you don't, then you will be judged! Opportunities arise daily for us to give, help, clothe, feed, shelter, even smile, but we are so timid and fleshly (meaning, easily offended and self absorbed) that we either cuss them out or call them names behind their back. And some take it a step further, and choose to quit speaking to that person for a long period of time!

Now I truly understand the meaning of “Love covers a multitude of sins” (I Peter 4:8)! It’s a sin if you see a person struggling with an addiction and you speak negative of them, instead of praying for them and offering them help. If they refuse, continue praying. It’s a sin if you see a child that has no coat and you have 5. If one of your coats do not fit, you are blessed to buy them a new one. It’s a sin to have 3 cars and see the man or woman next door walk in the cold, rain, and heat to the bus stop to his or her job and it’s on your way ~ or give them one of your cars! To say anything against them is called “judging”, because you do not know what they are going through; nor is it your concern to know, but to jump at the opportunity to assist them and never cease to pray for them. Having God's goodness is a blessing, but are you blessing others with it?  

“Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, ⁵ never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. ⁶ It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. ⁷ If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him. (I Corinthians 13:4-7 TLB)

The carnal or human definition of judgment is not the divine definition of judgment! In Jude 9, one of the most powerful Angels, Michael, understood his chain of command (his rightful place)! He dared not say anything against Satan that would jeopardize his place in Heaven, but he only spoke what was acceptable in the sight of God!

⁵ My answer to them is: Remember this fact—which you know already—that the Lord saved a whole nation of people out of the land of Egypt and then killed every one of them who did not trust and obey him. ⁶ And I remind you of those angels who were once pure and holy but turned to a life of sin. Now God has them chained up in prisons of darkness, waiting for the judgment day. ⁷ And don’t forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, all full of lust of every kind, including lust of men for other men. Those cities were destroyed by fire and continue to be a warning to us that there is a hell in which sinners are punished.

⁸ Yet these false teachers carelessly go right on living their evil, immoral lives, degrading their bodies and laughing at those in authority over them, even scoffing at the Glorious Ones. ⁹ Yet Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, when he was arguing with Satan about Moses’ body, did not dare to accuse even Satan, or jeer at him, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you.” ¹⁰ But these men mock and curse at anything they do not understand, and like animals, they do whatever they feel like, thereby ruining their souls. (Jude 5-10 TLB)

Now will Jesus forgive you of your sins? The answer is yes, but first you have to “believe” He is the Messiah, who died for your sins, and all of your sins will be forgiven; then let the Holy Spirit guide you into righteous works that will give you rewards in Heaven!

How Powerful Are You?

Do you walk away from fights; or do you engage in fighting until one of you is seriously hurt; and end up in jail? Sure it doesn’t make sense to walk away, it shows weakness. So think long and hard about what the outcome will be if you do persist and fight an enemy verses walking away! If you fight you lose much, but if you walk away the only thing that will hurt is your ego.

My nephew winning a wrestling match. There was not a
fight; howeve, there is a winner and a loser in all battles

⁷ “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹ To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹ And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. (Luke 6:27-31 ESV)

It takes discipline and a sound mind to know that engaging in any type of physical battle, no one wins – and I’m not talking about war! Battles are won in our hearts and minds, not with muscle!

Do you continue getting loans until you have over extended your budget to the point of foreclosure, filing bankruptcy; or some even commit suicide to avoid cleaning up the mess they made! It takes patience, perseverance and determination to save, adjust spending, and eventually pay for what you desire in cash! Scripture says,” The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender”. (Proverbs 22:7 ESV)

Think about it; which would you rather have, a debt free life, which is peace of mind and heart; or sleepless nights, endless phone calls from the lender when the bills are past due, and utility bills being disconnected? Another scripture says; “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law”. (Romans 13:8 ESV) 


Do you go to work tired, come home tired and frustrated; and you pour out your frustration on those you love; who are an innocent bystander? Or do you wake up and one thing after another goes haywire; and instead of keeping your peace, you allow your anger and frustration to escalate that keeps you in that negative state of mind “all day”? Scripture says; “Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace”.

When you have a balance of sleep, work and play, it allows your mind and body to be at rest. When your thoughts and actions are in constant war against anything God has for you, it gives Satan an open door to wreak havoc. “ 

Do you live in constant fear of what could happen? Such as, someone is going to break into my house, I’m afraid one day, I’m going to be a victim of Identity Theft, or do not split the pole, it’s bad luck! Wow! There are things we need to be cautious of; therefore, ask God for wisdom and discernment, so fear will not consume your thoughts and your life! II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”.

There is also a saying, “What you fear you attract”! Being of sound mind, means I am totally trusting in God to take care of me and my needs – no worries, no doubts, and no sleepless nights! You can go about your day knowing, “All is well”!

Hmm! Interesting that everything the bible speaks about is being at rest and in peace in Jesus Christ. Sounds like the world does not know Him or the Word; because they continue in constant struggles, battles and fear! I know that I want God’s power; which is not how the world views power, but power to overcome any obstacle Satan puts in front of me. His power is hidden in a secret place Satan cannot find; nor does he have the power to impute it unless it is willed to him by you! I bet you can’t guess where it’s at? Okay, I’ll tell you; it’s in you already, once you receive Jesus as your Savior!

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?  ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴ You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:1-8 ESV)

"Dialect"

Afterthought!

So what qualities are you looking for in a potential wife or husband? Seriously think about that question before you answer it! Those who are born again believers should not hesitate or stumble with an answer!

It’s becoming more and more prevalent in our society that we do not consider the words “Love” and “Commitment”! The word I am going to use, I feel, is how the world chooses a mate is “Lust”! We look at the outer appearance and have no knowledge of what lurks inside! It’s like taking a beautiful piece of fruit, and once you cut it open, the inside has rotted! True beauty radiates from the inside out! 

My son, be attentive to my Wisdom [godly Wisdom learned by actual and costly experience], and incline your ear to my understanding [of what is becoming and prudent for you], ² That you may exercise proper discrimination and discretion and your lips may guard and keep knowledge and the wise answer [to temptation]. ³ For the lips of a loose woman drip honey as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil; ⁴ But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged and devouring sword. ⁵ Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead). ⁶ She loses sight of and walks not in the path of life; her ways wind about aimlessly, and you cannot know them. ⁷ Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and depart not from the words of my mouth. ⁸ Let your way in life be far from her, and come not near the door of her house [avoid the very scenes of temptation], ⁹ Lest you give your honor to others and your years to those without mercy, ¹⁰ Lest strangers [and false teachings] take their fill of your strength and wealth and your labors go to the house of an alien [from God]—¹¹ And you groan and mourn when your end comes, when your flesh and body are consumed, ¹² And you say, How I hated instruction and discipline, and my heart despised reproof! (Proverbs 5:1-12 AMP)

Although the woman who was caught in the act of adultery was not named, many believe it was Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus cast out seven demons from her (Luke 8:2); and who anointed Jesus with expensive oil at the Last Supper (John 12:1-8)!

None of us have the power or authority to judge another and Jesus proved that when He said, “He who is without sin shall cast the first stone”! (John 8:7) A loose woman mentioned in the bible is as bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged devouring sword. (Proverbs 5:4) She is filled with wrong motives and self gratification that will only benefit her!

Wrong motives drive us into wrong actions! He is handsome, or she is built nice should not be your driving force to pursue him or her! Initially we do not delve deep enough in a person’s life to unveil what is hidden! Ask questions and date them awhile before you make that leap!   Emotions should never lead us, because it proves our weaknesses and instability! Neither should riches!

Satan gets in our thoughts and minds, but he has no authority or power to keep you in that lifestyle! Yet, many settle there! When Mary poured that expensive oil (that was valued as a year’s wages) on Jesus’ feet before His crucifixion, it symbolized “Thanksgiving” of His forgiveness of her sins and her freedom from bondage! In addition, the oil used was in preparation of His body for the sacrificial death He was to endure!  

So how do you choose a spouse you can stay committed to and love them the way God loves you? You pray about it and believe God will give you that person in His timing! 

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.(John 15:7 NKJV)

Take Every Thought Captive!