Sometimes It's Just Hard to Forgive

Hello all you Christ-Seekers!!! How many of you right at this moment have someone you are just angry at? How many of you right now have someone that you just cannot forgive for something they have done wrong! I in no way want to condone what anyone have done if it has hurt you. There are some extremely terrible acts that have been done to some people that I could not even imagine warrants forgiveness. But, like everything else in life God commands that we forgive our brother no matter what. If God says it, then it is so. So there is some kind of way that it can be done. Ephesians 4:32 declares, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 proclaims, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  We have to forgive each other because we have been forgiven by God. Matthew 6:14-15, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” It is so important to forgive anyone that wrongs you. Think of it as Jesus forgiving you daily and if you do not forgive offenses that have been done to you then your sins will be counted against you. Could you handle that? It is certainly not easy and requires so much discipline, but if God says it can be done He will allow you the strength to do it. Matthew 18:25-35 says, “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’  He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.  Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”Just remember whenever we are disobedient to God we sin against Him. Again, I would never tell you that it is easy but the benefit of forgiving is more for you than the other person. Tune in each week for "The Truth of the Matter Talk Show" at n8tion.com every Thursday at 8:30 pm eastern time. "Knowing the Truth about everything really does matter!"

Are you Thankful?

Good Evening "Christ-Seekers!" Here is something to think about. Do you consider yourself a grateful person? Are you thankful for the things you have in your life? If not, consider this. Jesus died for you. Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us." If God did nothing else, that was enough to be thankful for the rest of our lives. Colossians 1:3 says, "We continually give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), as we are praying for you." There are times when our lives are frustrating and things never seem to go right. We may want to give up and sometimes we take God for granted. We may not even take the time to thank Him for all that is right in our lives. A lot of times we suffer from our own misplaced priorities. As believers we should continually thank God. It should be a daily part of your life. Even when you open up with prayer it should start with Thanksgiving! Begin to remember all that you do have and be thankful that each day you wake up in the morning is another opportunity to live right and to do the right thing. It is also an opportunity to forgive and love. The human mind cannot comprehend all that God has done for us, but we can show Him by being thankful for all of His blessings!! Tune in each week for this topic and many more on "The Truth of the Matter Talk Show" Thursdays at 8:30 pm at n8tion.com. Remember knowing the truth about everything really does matter.

Who Rules Your Life?

Good evening all my "Christ-Seekers"!!!! Is God first in your life? Who rules in your heart? Exodus 20:3 says," You shall have no other gods before or besides me."  So how do you make sure this happens? The most important thing you can do is to know what God expects of you. This is simple. Follow His commandments. The 10 commandments are as follows:

1) “You shall have no other gods before me.
2) “You shall not make for yourself an idol
3) “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
4) “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5) “Honor your father and your mother
6) “You shall not murder.
7) “You shall not commit adultery.
8) “You shall not steal.
9) “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10) “You shall not covet

Keep these commandments close to you. When you think about what God wants from you, this will help you to keep Him first in your life. God does not need your perfection; He just wants to ensure that your heart is set on Him. If we focus on what He wants we are sure to be living for Him. Many people mistakenly look at the Ten Commandments as a set of rules that, if followed, will guarantee entrance into heaven after death. In contrast, the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to force people to realize that they cannot perfectly obey the Law (Romans 7:7-11), and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace. So I am going to ask you again, "Who rules your life?"

Quiet Moments With God

Hello all you "Christ-Seekers!" How many of you really want to hear from God? Do you ever wonder how you can? It is so simple, you just seek God and He will answer you. Ask God for what you need. 

2 Chronicles 15:2 says, " And he went out to meet Asa and said to him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your soul's first necessity], He will be found by you; but if you [become indifferent and] forsake Him, He will forsake you." The Lord is always with us. If you seek Him you will find Him. There have been so many times in my life when I had the choice to seek God. I chose to forsake Him. I tried to take care of everything on my own. I did what my flesh wanted instead of trusting what God had to say. I can honestly tell you, my life has been disastrous as a result. Now, it does not mean you will never experience any trials and tribulations. That is the way of life for a Christian. However, you will have so much more peace when you seek God and when you know His will for your life. Set aside quiet time with God. Sometimes in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life we never just seek Him. Follow Psalm 46:10, "Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!" Once you spend that quiet moment with God you will know He is right there with you. Don't forget to tune in to the Truth of the Matter Talk Show, Thursdays @ 8:30 pm eastern time on n8tion.com. "Remember, knowing the truth about everything really does matter!!!"

The Truth of the Matter Talk Show

Hello all my "Christ-seekers!" I have been currently working on my Internet TV show, "The Truth of the Matter." I originally got the idea of the show from a friend of mine that always made that statement anytime we would be discussing topics. I have always had a dream to have my own Christian based talk show. I was daydreaming one day and thought to myself, "The truth is something I was always want to talk about and matter is everything!" So I wanted to discuss the truth about anything under the sun!!! I have been blessed with the opportunity to further my discussions every Thursday at 8:30 pm eastern time on the n8tion.com. We will be discussing different topics as they relate to the Word of God! It is going to be a comfortable atmosphere that will allow us to openly discuss all kinds of topics that may not always make us feel comfortable but need to be discussed. So join me via the n8tion.com or call in to participate at 678-500-9308. Together we can change the way we view life and others. I will resume my blog Monday, August 22, 2011 for daily inspiration!!! Because remember, "Knowing the truth about everything really does matter!"

The Problem with Greed

Hello all you Christ-Seekers! Hope you had a fabulous day today!!! I have been thinking alot lately about greed. How do you know if you are greedy? What is greed and how does it affect you? The dictionary definition of greed is excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions. It is wanting more than you actually need. In the Bible it is clear that greed is inside all of us. It is an inner attitude. Mark 7:23 says, "all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man." Since it is an internal feeling and desire there is not one person that is free from being tempted by it. Some people may say there is nothing wrong with wanting good things in life. At what point is it wrong to want? It is not the wanting of money or possessions but the excess wanting of things is the sin. The Bible says we all have basic needs, (Matthew 6:32 and Proverbs 10:15), but we must keep these in balance. There are ways to check if you are being greedy. Do you try to get rich by cheating others? Do we cause unnecessary trouble to our families because of greed? Unfortunately some of the most greedy people are found among those that profess to be religious. "Those false teachers only want your money" (2 Peter 2:3). Greedy people accept pay for doing wrong (Proverbs 15:27). Greed and unhealthy desire interfere with our relationship with God and this is the greatest evil. Greed, is in fact idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Ultimately, the issue is if we value possessions and money over God. There is nothing wrong with having possessions just don't let them possess you. It is our attitude toward money and possessions that separate us from worldly people. Jesus said it is those who do not know God who keep running after these things (Matthew 6:32-33). The opposite of being greedy is trusting God. "Everything on Heaven and on earth belongs to you (God).....Riches and honor come from you" (1Chronicles 29:11-12). We should be like Paul and learn to be content in any circumstance (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This means we should seek first the kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness. What happens to greedy people? The bible clearly states that the greedy will have no part or inheritance in the Kingdom of God (1Corinthians 6:9-10, Ephesians 5:5). Just remember to keep your lives free from the love of money and be satisfied with what you have (Hebrews 13:5). Join us next time for "The Truth of the Matter. Knowing the truth about everything really does matter."

Leadership in the Church 5

Hello all!!! I have truly missed you in my time away. I am certainly sorry for not writing lately. As most of you may or may not know The Truth of the Matter is going global!!!! Internet TV that is!! For all of you that have been following the blog you can now join in live to n8tion.com Internet TV Thursdays, beginning August 11, 2011 at 7:00 pm. We will be discussing Christian based topics that might make most people feel uncomfortable, but are subjects that really needs to be addressed! So tune in for information, daily recipes and health tips and any topics that you can think of under the sun! It is our time as men and women of God to speak the truth and nothing but and to learn from one another as we grow in The Word. Now, it is time for me to dive into this continuous topic of Leadership in the Church. What do you do when the Leader of the church falls? How do you rebound? Well, I suppose like most things you will pray like you have never prayed before and forgive. How do we get there? Lately, there has been so many news articles of the bad things that are occurring in the church. People are becoming more and more discouraged and trust is in rare supply. Picture this; you attend church every week and study your Word. Your pastor is following the Word and always seems to be on point with what is going on in the world. He seems kind and compassionate and is definitely a giver. Then you find out the worst!! He has been living a secret life and has done some really terrible acts! What on earth do you do? As with any other subject in life you have to refer to The Word. This situation is no different. The Word tells us about the expectations of Leadership in Romans 12:1-21 (King James Version) 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Pastors are human beings and struggle with the same things that we do. To determine whether or not you can move forward after a Pastor falls depends on the nature of the acts involved. If a Pastor is leading incorrectly and misconstruing God's Word then he is a false prophet. 1 Timothy 6:3 (ESV) 3 if anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness. This is someone who lies about the Word of God. You are certainly not obligated to follow a false prophet. “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). A Pastor is responsible for how he lives and is judged according to a higher standard. Stay away from them! The one who teaches false doctrine not only condemns himself, but also condemns those who follow his teaching. If a Pastor is teaching false doctrine, he must be rebuked and, if necessary, removed (see Matthew 18:15-18 and 1 Timothy 5:19-20 for the procedure to approach a sinning pastor).  However, there are the Pastors that fall because of moral issues. Moral issues are more with the way they are living their life. They can be teaching you the correct Word but not living it themselves.  Again 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 provide the qualifications of elder (Paul uses the Greek word presbuteros in Titus and episkopos in 1 Timothy. They translate into English as “Presbyter” and “Bishop/Overseer” respectively. They essentially describe the same office that we commonly refer to as “elder”). A Pastor should have an impeccable moral record. How can someone that is not living right teach someone to live Holy? This doesn’t mean that an elder can never, ever commit a sin, but an elder should be the very model of a repentant sinner when the occasion calls for it. When a Pastor falls it causes the unsaved to ridicule the church. They began to think the church is full of hypocrisy. It is very important to keep the integrity of the church. Fallen leaders hurt the church as a whole. So can a Pastor be restored?  Going back to Matthew 18, notice what Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother” (Matthew 18:15; cf. 2 Corinthians 2:5-11; 7:10-11). If a Pastor that has fallen and truly repents for what he has done then yes he can be restored. This means that the Pastor will have to live a continual life of obedience. It should show inside and outside the church. If their name is kept from any further scandals the evidence of their obedience will be apparent and their deliverance can not only help to restore the church but can also show others that you can be redeemed from any mistakes you make in life. That is the promise of God when you truly repent.  The key to true pastoral restoration is that the pastor is truly repentant. How long that may take just depends on the Pastor and how quick responsibility is taken for what has been done. It is also the duty of the church to pray for the fallen and support their decision to be restored. Together we can all show the world that through God's grace anyone can be forgiven and renewed. Thank you so much for joining me in discussing this topic. It is certainly not easy to see anyone fall from Grace. We have to uplift the man of God because they are under attack. Let us join together in support of those who truly want to change once they have fallen and pray for the people they have hurt and the families that have to come together! Thanks again for tuning in to "The Truth of the Matter. Knowing the truth about everything really does matter."