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It was always a joy helping my siblings raise their kids. One of the joys was teaching them to take their first steps to eventually walking on their own. I would cheer real loud as each step was made and even give incentives for them to continue. The hardest part was watching them bump into things or fall down.
It would really break my heart to see them just sitting there crying. They would get so excited when they realized they were taking steps on their own and a couple of them, (won't call names and embarrass them) would start clapping for themselves or bouncing and trying to dance! Know they were not strong enough to be doing all of that! What I learned was, the more they fell, the more they realized the importance of staying focused and listening to the directions that were being given. Directions like, "Hold your head up, come to me, take your time, get up and try it again, don't look at them but look at me, keep moving, don't be afraid, etc. Such is life, many times we are given people in our lives that have been placed to help us to walk this journey out. But we lose focus along the way and stop taking those important directives that will help us make the right steps. We start doing well and feel we do not need help anymore and forget, we are all forever learning. We begin to listen to others because what they are saying sounds better to us and eventually, we fall. Yes, the Lord is standing there with His arms outstretched ready to help us when we fall, but His hand is also holding ours and leading to keep us from falling. In these last and evil days, the saints really need to stay alert and remember our faith and hope has to remain on the return of Our Savior. Some falls can TRULY be eliminated. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen". – Jude 1:24-25 KJV It is so good to hear and see the praise reports week after week of the wonderful church services that we attend. I love to read, see and share how God blessed us and how the Holy Spirit gave just what was needed for that that particular moment. I know how much I enjoy a powerful service myself but this morning at 3 am as I was sharing with God, I clearly heard Him say that He is not pleased with a lot that’s pleasing to us. Many are gathering in His name but not truly honoring His name.
God says, “My people must stop playing in my house!” If I asked the majority of the people that attend church on a regular basis to share how their church service was today, those that reply in a positive way would basically describe the service in the same like manner. It is very rare that we hear that the service was so good because the word was convicting and made us see our dirt and filth to the point of repentance; the service showed the envy, jealousy, and unforgiveness in our hearts, the worship brought the right perception of who God is or overall, that the service showed that I must do better than what I have been doing. It is true that we are living in the day where God is pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh; men and women are prophesying like never before. All over the world “Rhema” words are being preached by men, women, boys and girls. We are not lacking for some good preaching! However, our time together in service is not touching heaven unless our hearts are turned to God on earth. If there is no change to live life for Him in the midst of all the hoopla, it is simply a social event full of emotions that leave us empty and our God saddened. People are despondent, restless, tired and feel the need to quit many times upon coming to church and depend on the mature saints to help them to make it through. Heartfelt songs are needed and not an audition, fervent prayers should be prayed and not repetitious dialogue, a word of comfort and conviction should be preached and not a script that's never been lived! The service we decide to showboat could be the one where someone is about to throw in the towel. Where is the REAL church? There is a service that is on the horizon that may not look like what we are accustomed to and God is going to get what He wants! By all means, let’s continue to have a great time when we come together but we must truly remember this, the best church we will ever experience is the encounter we will not remember. The day of Pentecost as described in Acts chapter 2 brought forth the turning point of the church. When the wind came from heaven, the house was filled. This is when the tongues looked like fire and the real amazement came about. Bold preaching from Peter came forth, not just the preaching that makes us feel good but the preaching that brings forth repentance, salvation and baptism. When the church encounters God for real, we will no longer be the same. No way can we continue to be separate in our actions or thoughts after coming in contact with the Holy God! Our Lord is giving us so many chances to get it right and it happens many times in the midst of other believers, and yet, we miss it. The chances we continue to receive from God is for changes to be made in our lives. Altar calls are for the alterations that need to be made for God to get glory to use us and not for selfish gain. Play time is over people of God and if we are going to play games and just meet for the sake of meeting, let’s choose another house beside God’s. I am no better than the next person but I know God has touched my heart in a way that I want Him to be pleased every chance I get. With tears in my eyes I just ask, "Can we try harder to please God than we do others and ourselves?" He just deserves better than what we are giving Him. Matthew 9:37 KJV:
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Many speak of "working for the Lord" or "working out their own soul salvation". Every Christian knows that it a real pleasure to work for the Savior! However, the problem is we cannot work hard enough for Him. In the book of Matthew, Jesus gives a vivid example of much work ready to be done but not enough "laborers" to do it. Some translations say workers while others as the ESV and the KJV say laborers. A worker does just that, work. They have a set time to start and a set time to finish the job. A worker looks to get paid for every minute they work...they work to receive. A worker can also be replaced at anytime. But a laborer knows there is no such thing as a 7-4 job, an 8-5 or a 10-6, etc. Their mindset is until completion. A laborer is concerned about what they have to give and not what they will receive. A laborer NEVER runs out of something to do because of the ripeness of the field...souls shall always need to be saved. If you are just working around the church or doing your thing when it's a special day or program, you are not needed in this season or should I say this time of life. We cannot just show up when we feel like it or when we will be spotlighted! In order to get someone to destiny, Jesus is in need of laborers! While a worker is working to merely live, the result of a laborer is life. That's why a woman's travail time is called labor! She sticks with it until the baby is born and no one can determine that time BUT the Lord! Will you join me today and aaccept the call to advance from a day of work to a life of labor for the Lord? I've been paying very close attention to the prices for air travel. Have you noticed how much more it cost to fly with bags these days? It is getting to the point that we have to fly alone and leave all the bags behind in order to have a more pleasurable flight. One day we are charged one price and before the sun comes up, it has increased! It is evident that flying is the most convenient method of traveling but it has also become the most taxing. The
last time I flew I was told my carryon bag was too heavy and I would need to check my bag in at the boarding desk or remove some of my items. "Check in? Remove? That was the purpose of me bringing it on board in the first place, I need it all", I responded. I had no desire to check in any bags in the first place. As I pondered on these astronomical changes and charges, I was reminded of a familiar scripture found in Hebrews 12:1 (NIV), Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. It is not by chance that this year has been declared the year of divine order in the Body of Christ. This is the time that we must rid ourselves of anyone and anything that will slow us down and goes contrary to the will that God has for our lives. Just like my bag slowed down the departure of my flight, so does the extra baggage in our lives. God says the same to the flyers, those of us that are destined to soar into our next phase of life. It's time to leave the extra baggage behind if you want to get to your destination with little or no hassle at all. Everything and everybody cannot go on your trip with you! Some people would love to go with you to your next and even final destination. However, their lives are not in sync with the life God has planned for you. They could possibly be the nicest person in the world but nice has nothing to do with destiny. Although it can be quite difficult, we cannot allow anyone or anything to hinder us from getting to “that place”. Just like flying on an aircraft, it’s time to part ways with the extra stuff that’s weighing us down. Whether it’s the pets, the unnecessary clutter or even the people in our lives, if it’s going to slow you down, it’s time to let it go! If you are a frequent flyer, you will definitely need to leave it all behind because you won't have time to stop and check anything in as often as you will take off! Now I will leave this with you; if you have problems departing from people or things that have gone with you as far as they can, you can still take them along with you, it's your choice...but I promise it will cost more than you planned to pay! Let it all go 'cause it's time to take off and get to a safe landing! In the words of the famous R. Kelly, “I believe I can fly!” Let's keep it moving. Have you ever been excited about going somewhere and a distraction came out of nowhere to keep you from getting there? I mean, just at the moment you were walking out of the door, the phone rang and the person on the other end needed your undivided attention just to share bad news. Maybe you realized that your clothes were not right and you had to stop and change them. Perhaps the baby got sick and you had to stop everything to attend to your child. It is these types of things that just seem to happen at the most inopportune times. It’s then that we find ourselves saying” I really can’t believe this is happening right now!”
On a personal note, I received my unexpected moment just this past Christmas holiday. It was Sunday morning and I was too excited that Christmas was on a Sunday! I woke up super early to prepare for worship and a day with my family. As I approached the time to leave the house, I grabbed the things necessary for my day and headed to the car. Everything was in place so, I returned inside to lock up and head out. Walking out of the door, I went to grab my keys from the spot in the kitchen where I usually keep them. To my surprise, my keys were not there! I felt around and looked all over but they were just not there. Fifteen minutes later I found myself still looking for my keys. Now I was getting frustrated because I always leave them in that one spot. “Where could they be?” I asked myself over and over again. It was all of thirty minutes later when I heard, “Go back to all the places you were when you came home last night!” It was the very vivid voice that I am oh so familiar with. I literally went back to my vehicle and replayed my steps from the night before. I remembered using my keys to get inside so I knew they were not still in the car. As I walked through the house, I had to remember each step I took; each room I entered and what I did in each one. One room in particular was full of boxes, wrapping paper and trash bags where I had spent time wrapping gifts but did not put them away in their proper place as I went along. I was so preoccupied that I just had stuff everywhere! I had to look under things and step over a lot to see if they were there. My keys had to be in here! And so, it was here that I was taken back to my life as it related to this isolated incident. I remembered places I had been and things that had happened to me that I did not deal with properly. It was these things that stopped me from going forward, from getting where I needed to be to enjoy the life God had designed just for me. What better time than Christmas, the time we celebrate the Savior’s birth and, the ending of a year to reflect over my own life and see how far God had brought me. Sometimes God will slow us down so we can just think of how life really is with Him. I realized so much in just a short period of time of losing my keys. I often hear people say, “God is keeping you from getting somewhere at this moment to protect you”. And although I believe that He does create situations to protect us, His desire is never to prevent us from reaching our destination. According to John 10:10, all of our lives have been prearranged for us to be all that we are supposed to be and to enjoy life to the fullest as Christ would have us to. I was ready to enjoy my day, hear the word of God preached from my pastor and spend the day with my family. Surely, God had no problem with me doing those things on His day! But I believe in my heart that before I could enjoy the fullness of my day, I had to be reminded of the life of Christ and how it relates to the life of a Christian. No matter how we are inconvenienced, it will never be any comparison to His. Born of a virgin in a manager because there was no room in the inn; misunderstood by His own family, betrayed and denied and doubted by His own disciples and just criticized for everything He did. If that was not enough, His life was the substitute on a bloody cross so that you and I could enjoy holidays and friends! What a Savior! What a life! He was treated like trash but was the greatest treasure we will ever receive! No wonder my keys were found at the bottom of trash bag filled with wrapping paper and empty boxes. I was so focused on what I needed to do right now that I forgot about putting my keys in the normal spot to get me where I was going tomorrow. That’s the least place we ever want to look when we need something. My entire day was incredible because I was able to stop and replay my steps and take them for what they were worth. I admonish you to do the same as we have entered a brand new year. I know we are all excited about where we are headed but remember, where we have been plays a huge part in getting us there! Although you may experience some minor setbacks and moments that will slow you down this year, God has made it clear that this year has been preordained to be the best ever! Now, get rid of all of that trash and get some order in your life! A word to my single brothers and sisters. I guess it's just that time of the year that we tend to bend the rules and compromise our integrity. Is that what’s going on? It’s getting cold so we want to keep this thang heated up! This has to be the case because lately, I have personally received so many requests to pray for the area that many of us struggle in as singles; maintaining sexual purity! I... do not a...nd will not ever advise in an area that I have not experienced or have acquired enough knowledge to lead someone else. I will warn you that when you ask for advice in this area, I am going to tell you what God loves and NOT what you probably want to hear. SEX outside of marriage is prohibited by the Lord, not me! I did not make that rule. I am hearing that relationships are failing, lives are being destroyed, and people are just not sure how to handle what is happening as a result of sleeping with someone that is not their spouse! This is what you should expect when you do it your way and not God's way. He knew the consequences we would suffer by giving into our fleshly desires; baby mama drama, missing daddy's, emotionally distraught people, unwanted pregnancies, STD’s, sleepless nights and just straight confusion! If you have not experienced any of this as a result of your creeping, sleeping, tipping and booty calling, just keep it up and I promise you will. Stop calling and asking for advice if you don’t want to be held accountable! We want relief without the deliverance and I’m not going to utilize my time fasting and praying for inappropriate relationships! None of us are perfect but you have to at least have the desire to want to wait for YOUR GOD GIVEN mate. A quickie is not worth a lifetime of pain! A few months of some heated moments won’t get you what you want! So I suggest we single people take plenty of cold showers, warm up by the fire or a portable heater; cuddle up with the word of God over a hot cup of cocoa, coffee or tea and WAIT! While we wait, let’s keep our mind stayed on Jesus and do some productive stuff like help some people, study, get our finances straight or receive more education! God He has so much more in store for those that can be a little more disciplined. If we can’t control our genitals, we continue to forfeit blessings from God! Stop giving in to the devil! No one is perfect or free from sin, however, the greater knowledge we have of God, the more He expects from us. I was unable to commit to this type of discipline until I studied what sexual immorality is and what it does to everyone that is involved. All it takes is the desire to do better and then commit your ways to the Lord. So in a nutshell, if you don’t want to know the truth about shacking, single sexing and all the other baggage that comes with engaging in premarital sex, don’t come to me! I have a zero tolerance for those that play with this thing! I am sick of the body of Christ, I mean those that profess true salvation, but can’t stay out of somebody’s pants or under somebody’s dress! Get out of that bed if it’s not yours! Start tonight by going to bed with JESUS on your mind and you'll wake up with your mind STAYED on Him! I Corinthians 6:18: Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
My name is Minister Cynthia Diggs, founder and servant leader of 4REAL Ministries; God and myself approve this message! The Fourth Quarter
Any football fans out there? Surely, many of you know a whole lot more than me. However, I am aware that football is a sport played between two teams of eleven at one time with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. The ball can be advanced by running with it or throwing it to a teammate. Each team is subject to run into, run over, hold back and blocks the opposing team to keep the man with the ball safe! Points can be scored by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line, catching a pass thrown over that goal line, kicking the ball through the opponent's goal posts or tackling an opposing ball carrier in his own end zone. Wow, sounds so harsh. I realize there is a lot more to the game but a few other words that come to mind are words like kickoff, first downs, defense, offense, snaps, penalties, center, line of scrimmage, yards, gains, sudden death, rushing, pass, passing, forward pass, tackle, incomplete, out of bounds, interception, sack, fumble, safety, touchback, turnover, punt, and touchdown! A standard football game consists of four 15-minute quarters and an intermission after the second quarter. All of the above mentioned words describe the game of football and can take place at any given time. Our lives also consist of two teams; good and evil! Daily we are hit by the opposing team as we strive to carry out the gospel of Jesus Christ! Sometimes it just seems impossible to advance or gain as we are criticized and penalized for each and every move we make. We look to our teammates at times but it appears that they are messing up just as bad or more of them are sitting on the sideline rather than being involved! The real players get knocked around so much that sudden death seems to be near! We run as to win that prize and sometimes find ourselves going beyond the dimensions that have been set resulting in another incomplete assignment! I just want to encourage you to stay in the game! The end zone is not an unattainable goal! It’s designed for winners. Whatever God has told you to do, tackle it with God's word! Run with it, carry it; take the hits if you have to! Should you fumble, get back up and pick up where you left off! Don't forget who is really running the ball, or should I say calling the shots behind the scenes in our lives. He is the defensive and offensive coordinator! He is the head coach; the owner of the team! Even in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters of this year, you may have felt like a complete failure. Or maybe things just have not turned out like you expected. Don't lose heart! Some of the best comebacks have taken place in the 4th quarter! I have seen some great interceptions, even in the last few seconds of the game; demanding a complete turnaround. What am I trying to say? We are in the 4th quarter of this year and the people of God are about to experience the greatest turnover ever! Just lie watching your favorite team play ball, don't you dare turn that dial or abort your assignment until the last quarter has ended! Whether it's the normal four quarters or you need a little extra overtime, just know that It ani't over 'til God says, "It's over! 2 Corinthians 4:17 states, For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Remember, if you can understand the game of football surely you can understand this thing called life! Be blessed today. ~Minister Cynthia Diggs The last words of small and great men and women reflect how they saw themselves, life, the world and what really mattered when it came down to it.
~ Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales "My God., what's happened?" ~~ Benjamin Franklin, "A dying man can do nothing easy". ~George Washington, "I die hard but am not afraid to go". ~The Prophet Amos said: "Therefore prepare thyself to meet thy God!" ~And King David said "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." But no one else’s last words compare to those of Jesus Christ! First, He forgave His Roman enemies from the cross, then, He granted eternal life to a repentant thief that was crucified beside him, saying, "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" After the Father's Spirit left Him as He died for the sins of the world, He said, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me!" Then He said "It is finished!" and after He had cried out with a loud voice, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" Our Lord and Savior died the same way that He lived! He was always loving and forgiving others! We don't die learning how to love but, we live in such a way that when we die, what we have done will match what we say in our final hours. Today is a good day to emulate the life of Christ by forgiving others and submitting to the Father. We were taught as children to begin a thing the way we started it. Our mother would not let us start the day and leave the house without cleaning our rooms and making up our beds. She wanted us to return to a clean house! I see Jesus leaving this world completing His assignments that He was charged with which led Him to the final words that He left behind. When He said, "It is finished", these words symbolized His work was complete and not that He was finished. He did not say, I am finished! There was no better place for Him to return but to the hands of His Father. Today, think about what you want to leave behind and how you want to be remembered. Since we have no clue when that day will be, let's start today, together. We will all have final words but it's our Father that will ultimately have the last say. I long to hear Him say, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant" and then offer the life of paradise with Him, forever! I was out walking early this morning, (it felt sooo good) and I noticed a lady walking her little dog. I could tell that she really loved her little puppy! I also noticed how disciplined and smart this little animal was. I even gave my compliment and a little pat on the head. After a moment, she took her puppy off of it's lease to go potty and to run around for a moment. After all, even dogs need fresh air! We were standing there just chatting a little bit. Soon it was time to leave and the lady was ready to go; but her puppy had ran off and was out of her sight. She started out softly calling his name, "Punches, Punches, come on, Punches". She called out again, "Come on Punches, let's go". She kept calling the puppy's name and then started clapping her hands and yelling, "I'm going to leave you, I'm going to leave you, we have to go, come on Punches!". It was very noticeable to me. I walked over and asked if her dog does this often. She answered, "Yes, especially when he sees something that catches his eye, he'll leave me for a moment!" She shared with me how he did this once before and she had to get in her car and find him. "That's why I don't let him go too far off", she said to me. The Holy Spirit did what He does and gave me some spiritual insight! I was thinking to myself, "My, my my, how that resembles the lives of humans". In one aspect, God has given us a little breathing room, showed us a little green pasture, given us a little authority if I can say so, and we've just gone too far. He looks at us and says, "I'm right here! Come back! Even if you run off, keep your eyes on me!" He's calling us to come back and we are ignoring His call. He just let us loose for a moment to release some things and get refreshed but we don't have sense enough to come back. He hasn't taken His hand off of us but we've taken our eyes off of Him! He's so loving and kind that He'll go to the extreme to get us back!
And the other revelation He gave to me is, there are those of us that are really ready to go somewhere in life, for real. We have seen our purpose, we've heard from the Father and we have no desire to remain the same. However, we are fooling around with folk that have run off; that are distracted by something else and what we are trying to do does not interest them anymore or at all. Stop yelling and screaming, "Come on, I have to go; I'm going to leave you! If they want to go with you, they will come along, if not, let whatever has caught their eye lead them. I promise they will come along or come back at God's discretion. Just pray for them. I promise if that lady had just walked off, Punches would have found his way to her or fallen into the arms of a new owner. Lord forbid! Maybe you are the one that has run away, something/someone has caught your eye that is leading you astray. The word of God recorded in Luke chapter 15 is evident that you can find your way back home. God is waiting with open arms! Find your way back today. And finally, if you are running in the right direction, keep running! Run not just to run but run like the example in I Corinthians 9:24-25... In a race all the runners take part in it, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline; he does so in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. Athletes are not concerned about the other runners!! Just run YOUR race people of God, run! But while you are running, don't try to take Punches that don't want to go with you! And remember that dog is only a man's best friend when he obeys the orders that the master gives! ~Be blessed today! So many scandals and tragedies are going on amongst the body of Christ. My heart is just sad. I realize it's all a sign of the times but we still have our duties and obligations. My questions are as follows: Can Christian's really share their deepest, darkest secrets and get help when needed from other Christians without being judged? Are we taking care of our brother's/sister's as the Bible has commanded us to do? Are we so involved in our own personal lives that we are overlooking the hurting people? Have we just become so good at hiding our issues? So often we would like to share with someone but the fear of being exposed, losing title(s), criticism, separation, etc. cause us to just shut down and keep it all inside. And then, when we share some of our hurt and misfortune or just plain testing, we receive the same response of, 'I'll be praying for you'. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in the power of prayer. However, many times we use this line to get people to leave us alone or to prevent us from moving and doing anything else. Yes, according to James 5:16; the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Bu,t if you hear I am hungry, feed me and then pray that I stay full! If I am sick, get me some medicine and then lay hands! If I am in the dark, provide light and then pray that the light remains. I can't hear your prayer when I am broke, busted and disgusted! If you know I am dealing with drugs, sexual demons, a jezebel spirit, a jealous spirit or an alcohol addiction..get me some help!!! And follow up to see what is going on! We are responsible one for another. As quiet as it's kept, no addict wants to be one and all addictions are still addictions! I think we fail to realize that the human body and mind is only capable of handling so much. Even saved bodies and minds..those that are in Christ STILL struggle with something! We all have our load limit and yet, we have been commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. Do we really do this? Do we really know what it means? Our foreparents were able to look at you and tell you what was going on with you. They would pray until deliverance took place. No person was left behind. No one was left alone. Which brings me to my last question, whatever happened to spiritual discernment? How are we missing so much when it's happening right in our homes? In our schools? In our neighborhoods? And most definitely in our churches? The world takes care of the worldly but Christians overlook each other. When will the church be the church God is looking for? How long can this last? We can't go on like this.
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