Face Transplant

"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." ~ 1 Chronicles 16:11

What does it mean to seek God’s face? Who even knew that God had a face?

To seek God’s face simply means to pursue His kingdom and righteousness (see Matthew 6:33). The ultimate goal is to stand face to face with Him and take in His presence.

But often times, we are afraid of seeking God’s face because we’re afraid of being exposed – afraid that we won’t measure up, that the façade we give the world will be stripped away, and that God will see us for who we really are – broken, messed up, and flawed.

But the thing is, when we stand face-to-face with God, not only is He able to identity our flaws and exercise His strength in our weaknesses, He’s also able to heal us from our brokenness. God is not looking to expose us and broadcast our sins to the world. That’s what the world does.

God wants us to seek His face so that He might change us from the inside out. So much so that eventually, we take on his image and when people see us, they see Him.

God is looking to give you a face transplant. But in order to do it, you’ve got to go in and see the Physician.

God bless,

J.W.

A Reminder of Our True Selves

"You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins." ~ Psalms 85:2

Ego and our own self-absorption often pushes us to have a distorted view of ourselves and our behavior.

This leads us to often deny our faults and gloss over our shortcomings.

But the perfect posture before God is brokenness. It's something to be embraced.

God shows His strength in our weakness, but we block that demonstration when we lead from our own strength and not from our own weakness.

In a culture that is enthralled with the projection of strength, we can forget that we are human and are not perfect.

The beauty of the Gospel is in today's scripture - that God forgave us and covered our sins, even while we were still sinners.

God bless,

J.W.

The Free Gift

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23

The imagery here is so powerful. We get paid in death for our sin but God gives eternal life as a free gift.

So often we work to try to obtain the results we want, but this verse reminds us that God is the ultimate gift giver. Why do we strive to attain so much when the gift has already been given?

We just need to accept and say thank you.

Just a reminder today that we don't need to earn what God has already given us for free.

God bless,

J.W.

All Fall Short

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," ~ Romans 3:23 NKJV

As Christians, we set up hierarchies of sin, as if God looks at our sin as minor, forgivable on sight, but other people's sin is major, and somehow God has a hard time forgiving theirs.

But we all fall short. Which means none of us measure up. Just as God promises to forgive you upon repentance, He also promises to forgive others the same way.

So, would it blow your mind if I told you that that person you think is unforgivable just might wind up in Heaven? Or the person you dislike the most, God loves?

How would a true recognition and acceptance of this phenomenon change the way we look at life and other people?

God bless,

J.W.

Entanglements

 

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about entanglements. 

But this scripture (Hebrews 12:1) shows us that while we as humans are concerned about entanglements with people, God is much more concerned about entanglements with sin. 

For instance, in Ephesians 6:12, the Bible says tells us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Yes, family, we wrestle with entanglements with evil and darkness. But we have a God who came to rescue us from our entanglements. And there's hope in that. 

Happy Tuesday!

God bless,

J.W.

Be Careful

“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” ~ Deuteronomy 5:32-33

Living a righteous life is not easy. In Romans 7:21, Paul says “although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” It doesn’t take much for us to fall into the devil’s schemes or our own sinful nature.

That’s why Proverbs 4:23 calls us to “guard our hearts.” And Deuteronomy 5:32 tells us to “be careful” to keep God’s commands. Jesus, in fact, said that “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Jesus warned us that it would not be easy.

Because of the original sin, doing what’s right doesn’t come naturally. So, we must be cautious and careful to keep God’s commandments. We must be on guard at all times. We are in a battle and if we are not careful, we can do exactly what Deuteronomy 5:32 warns us not to do – that is, turn aside to the right or to the left.

Jesus tells us to walk the narrow path that leads to life – the John 10:10 life. Walking the narrow path requires self-discipline and a carefulness found in Deuteronomy 5:32.

Be careful today!

God bless,
J.W.

Movement By Myself (Part 2)

Not only do we live in a culture of people that think they don't need anyone else, we also live in a culture that thinks they don't need God. 

But God made us reliant on each other (Romans 12:4-5). 

Moreover, He made us reliant on Him (Jeremiah 17:5-8). 

The minute we think we can do it all on our own, we have stepped in to pride, and ultimately sin (1 John 2:16). 

It was the same mentality that Adam and Eve fell into in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:4-7) and it continues to plague us today.

Don't let the ills of today's culture affect your thinking and behavior. You absolutely positively cannot afford to live in isolation from God. It's something we all have to die to daily but is absolutely essential to our well-being and calling.

God bless,

J.W.

Too Short (Part 2)

“'You will not certainly die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” ~ Genesis 3:4-5

Perfectionism is a trick of the enemy to get us to fall out of alignment with God.

When we strive for perfection, what we're really striving for is to be God himself. That's the same mistake Eve made in the Garden.

The serpent dared her to eat the fruit in defiance of God (Genesis 3:1). He told her "God knows you will be like Him if you eat the fruit."

That single mistake caused a whole slew of ills for generations to come.

It should serve as a warning to us!

The minute we try to be God, we are out of alignment with Him. The Bible calls this sin. Perfectionism is sin.

More to come!

God bless,
J.W.

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People (Part 7)

We are in a battle - a battle between two kingdoms: 1) the Kingdom of God and 2) the kingdom of evil. Earth is the battlefield and the goal of each kingdom is to take territory.

Don't believe me? Look at the creation story in Genesis.

1. Adam: God, the King of Heaven, colonizes the earth by reproducing His image on earth in the form of the first man (Adam) (Genesis 1:26-27). He then tells man to have dominion, and multiply on the earth (Genesis 1:28). In other words, He directs man to colonize the earth.
2. Sin: The enemy then comes and attacks the colony by introducing the virus of sin into the earth (Genesis 3:13-14). Sin not only turns people away from the Kingdom of God, it kills God's colonizers (Genesis 3:19). 
3. Second Adam: God then fights back. Instead of simply reproducing a carbon copy of Himself (Adam), God sends the original, Himself, in the form of Jesus (the second Adam) (Romans 5:12-15). 
4. Death of Sin: God sends Jesus to become the virus of sin itself (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus, by dying on the cross, God kills the virus, and frees His colonizers from its bondage (Romans 6:23). 
5. New Creation: God then resumes the process of reproducing Himself on earth by sending the Holy Spirit to live on the inside of us (John 14:15-17). That is why Jesus says it is good that I go that the Holy Spirit might dwell within you (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit is now the way that God reproduces Himself on the earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). God then tells His colonizers that, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to go out and make new disciples (take more territory) and colonize the earth once again (Matthew 28:19). 

Make no mistake. We are in a battle for territory. The King of Heaven and the king of hell are seeking to colonize the earth.

Which side are you on?

God bless,
J.W.

Empty Tombs

"Why do you seek the living among the dead." ~ Luke 24:5

While people typically talk about Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday, today, I want to focus on the empty tomb.

When Jesus died on the cross, He not only died for our sins. The Bible says He "bore our sins in His own body" (1 Peter 2:24). In other words, Jesus became our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He stood in our place, and thus, represented us in judgment (1 John 2:2).

Why is that important?

Because the same process by which Jesus was judged, crucified, killed, and ultimately resurrected, is the same process by which he handles our sin today. When we give our sin over to God, He crucifies, kills it, buries it, and makes it disappear as if it was never even there.

God is a God of empty tombs. The things He buries can't be found anymore. The question is, do you trust Him enough to do it?

Thank God for empty tombs. And happy Resurrection Sunday!

God bless,
J.W.

#PassionWeek #ResurrectionSunday #EasterIsComing #EasterIsHere

Red Pill or Blue Pill?

“My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.” ~ Proverbs 3:1-2 

Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23) , but obedience to God’s Word brings length of days, long life, and peace.  

So, which would you choose? 

Choose wisely. 

God Bless, 
J.W.

Peace In The Midst

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." ~ John 14:27

If you continually face the same trials and tribulations, heartbreaks and failures, you may want to check your life for sin. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and while God is quick to forgive, many times we bring ill into our lives because of unchecked sin.

That is not to say that every time we go through hardship, it’s because we’ve done something wrong. But there’s a difference between temporary hardships and storms and continual heartache and depression. God never promised us that we wouldn’t face difficulties. But he did promise us that he’d give us peace in the midst of our storms. If you continually lack peace in your life, it may be because of unchecked sin.

God bless,
J.W.

Crucify The Flesh

"And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." ~ Galatians 5:24-26

Our flesh can be deceiving. Often, we think our fleshly desires are what are natural to us. We say things like "follow your gut" and "listen to your body."

But the Bible tells us to crucify our flesh. That means to control it by not giving in to its wishes and desires.

God calls us to walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Thus, to live according to His will, we must learn to control our emotions and fleshly desires by crucifying them. Don't let them control you.

God bless,
J.W.

So Emotional

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." ~ Psalm 51:5

Often times, as humans, we think that because something feels natural to us, that it’s the right thing to do. We say things like, “follow your first instinct,” “whatever feels right to you,” or “if it feels right, do it,” as a way to facilitate this philosophy.

But the Bible says that we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. Our natural state is sinful.

Emotions can be fleeting and feelings can change, but the Word is always consistent. That’s why we need to look to the Bible and God’s Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the right direction we ought to go.

Wouldn’t you rather base life’s decision on something solid and stable rather than something that changes with the wind? I know I would.

God bless,
J.W.

What do you think? Was this helpful? Is there something to be said about a woman’s intuition or a gut feeling? Am I totally wrong? Let me know what you think – I love to hear from my readers. And please share this message with others if you think it will help them. Thanks so much and God bless!

Independence Day

This Independence Day, I celebrated more than just America's freedom from British colonialism.

In many ways, for me, as an African-American, the Fourth of July always comes with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I love being an American and truly believe it's the greatest country on earth. On the other hand, I know this day doesn't truly represent freedom for my people.

But there WAS something to celebrate this past weekend.

The Bible says in Romans 6:6-7: "for we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

See, because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we are now free from the chains of bondage called sin. Therefore, Jesus promised us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).

So, as you go throughout the rest of your days, rejoice in the fact through Christ you can experience true liberty and freedom. That's what life is all about.

God bless,
J.W.