Mark 12:28-31: The two greatest commandments:
1. Love God
2a.Love Neighbor
2b.Love Yourself
Romans 3:19-20
God gave the law to the children of Israel through Moses
The law lets us know that we are sinning, but we are not justified through it
God knows we can’t keep the law
Gospel:
1. The Gospel starts off with bad news: we’re born sinners and are doomed to Hell
2.Good News: God does the work He created us to do, but we get credit for it
You can’t be saved by the law
Through the realization that the law can’t save you and you can’t be saved through your own efforts you’ll recognize and admit that you need a Savior
Grace- God doing for you what you don’t deserve
God never blesses us based on our works/efforts
God blesses us because Jesus was faithful
You can’t earn God’s blessing
We still go in relationships with expectations/basic assumptions
The law of love/relationship says “I connect to give not to get”
You give for the benefit of the other person, not for yourself
We avoid close, personal relationships because we don’t want to get hurt
Once you get hurt for the first time you experience fear
Fear causes you to pull back and withhold because you don’t want to get hurt
Fear is also the root cause of selfishness
We don’t know our needs until we get hurt
Most of our needs our emotional
When we engage in wrong relationship (connecting to get something) we get hurt
God uses relationships to bring us back to Him so He can fulfill our needs
If I choose to look outward instead of inward then I’ll blame the other person for hurting me
If I need to control the other person we’re not OK
Gal 6:7: give what I want to get, trust God to meet my needs
1 John 4:19-20
Until you get an understanding of how much God loves you, you can’t love others because you’re always gonna wanna punish them every time they do something wrong/hurt you
God doesn’t punish us every time we do something wrong
When you’re hurt the most, that’s when you need the love the most
Not knowing God’s love will mess up your thinking
You can’t love until you know how much God loves you
Rom 5:1-11
We are justified by faith and given peace
Tribulation: pressure
Hope: confident expectation of a future blessing
Holy Spirit pours the love of God in our hearts
We know God loves us because He sent Jesus to die for us when we couldn’t help ourselves/ while we were messing up
Always see yourself in Christ when you mess up (v. 9-11)
When we get hurt and go to God He’ll provide healing, deliverance, empowerment, restoration, and anything else we’ll need
Every battle you face you can win, but you have to win in your mind (with your thoughts first)
Taking Control of My Emotions: Winning the Battle of the Mind Pt. 2 (1/26/15)
Taking Control of My Emotions: Winning the Battle of the Mind Pt. 2 (1/12/15)
Introduction Notes
You’re always battling thoughts in your mind
This class is going to help you take control of your emotions
Emotions come from our thoughts
If you can control your thoughts, then you can control your emotions
Two types of thoughts:
1. Conscious
2. Sub-conscious: stores our long-term memories and habits
Memory has two components:
1. Thoughts
2. Feelings/ emotions
You have the ability to control your beliefs
Everything that happens to you comes from your sub-conscious
The behavior doesn’t change if the beliefs/thoughts don’t change
*God gave us emotions so we can be aware of our thoughts
Memories are stored in the cells of our bodies
You can carry your stress to certain parts of your body:
Head: headaches
Stomach: ulcers
Heart: heart attacks
We’re created to operate in faith
People can tell you what to believe, but you don’t have to believe it
Gen 1:26: He created us to be just like Him
The enemy wants us to doubt God’s will/plan
The enemy doesn’t know your thoughts, but he knows your tendencies (habits)
Rom 10:9-10: Keep confessing God’s word (before something bad happens)
Trying to confess God’s Word in fear is not good
In order to exercise freedom we have to walk in love
Unconditional love gives
You’ll know your expectation is wrong when you get hurt
Gen 2:15: God provided everything we needed graciously
You either live by grace or live by the law
Gen 3:1-7: God’s glory left and now their info comes from their 5 senses
Live by law: you want to be God/ live independently of God
Tree of knowledge good/evil: this type of knowledge is gained by experiences
We have to shut the devil up so we can hear God
The devil will tell us everything that’s wrong with us, so we have to ask God what’s right with us
*You can’t satisfy an intangible need with tangible things
A marriage relationship can’t be based on law
Laws carry conditions and consequences
Gen 2:25: they had no shame because they had God’s glory
Your senses can’t make sense out of spiritual things
Self-help is not from God
Gen 3:24: drove: divorce in Hebrew
When you get married you no longer live independently
You don’t get married to act single
1 Cor 7:29, 32-34: You’re not married to please your spouse, but to please God
Don’t put things and people in place of God (that’s idolatry)
Intro to Class Notes
Greetings!
Since January, I’ve been taking a Christian counseling class called: “Taking Control of My Emotions: Winning the Battle of the Mind Pt. 2”. Every week since I’ve been in this class, I’ve experienced little emotional victories (getting control of my emotions) and as a result making me more aware of my thoughts. I know my thoughts are important because Prov 4:23 says, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” (NCV). If you pay attention to the first part of the proverb it pretty much says this:”Be care what you [choose to] think…” We have a choice in what we think about. God is so awesome that he informs us of our thoughts through our emotions. So what this class has been doing so far is teaching the students how to change their thoughts. Of course it gets deeper than just changing their thoughts, but you’ll see that in the notes. Why am I sharing these class notes? Simple. The subheading of this blog is: “Obtaining wholeness through the Word of God and not the ways of the world.” You’ll never be whole with wrong thoughts. Hence the reason for me sharing my class notes. Please remember that we’re blessed to be a blessing (share this wisdom and knowledge with those around you). God bless!
*All credit is given to God and Dr. S. Davenport.
God Loves You, But You Don’t Have Take My Word For It
(Side note: I apologize for the “randomness”, grammatical errors, lack of structure and organization, etc. This post came from the heart and hence, I wanted to keep it in its rawest most genuine form.)
God’s love is so amazing. As Jimmy Evans from the “Marriage Today” TV sermon series said, “God loves us perfectly, permanently, and powerfully.” There’s nothing greater than God’s love. I know this from first hand experience.
I’ve been in three miracle car accidents. I call them miracle car accidents because either I should’ve lost a limb, been paralyzed, or worse, lost my life. Whether or not the accident was my fault it was God’s loving grace that protected my life and my limbs. I walked away with either whiplash, bruises, or just plain walked away. (Still thanking God!!!)
God has shown me He not only wants me to be with Him in paradise, but He wants to be with me while I’m here on Earth. He wants to be a part of my life– in the big things, the small things, in the cool and smooth days, and in the rough and tough days. God has blessed me to take a few vacations during my unemployment phase. On a few occasions people whom I’ve never met paid for my Popeye’s Chicken meal, and school supplies that I was purchasing for children. He sent people to bless me in ways unimaginable.
I say these things not to brag, but to show you that God cares. He truly, truly does care about you. I also say these things because we can’t live victorious lives without knowing and believing that God loves us. When we’re able to understand how much God loves us, we’ll be able to love people as Jesus has commanded us to. When we’re able to understand how much God loves us, we’ll be able to overcome any obstacle, struggle, and addiction.
God loves you, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Take His:
“And from far away the Lord appeared to His people and said, ‘I love you people with a love that will last forever, That is why I have continued showing you kindness.’”- Jeremiah 31:3
“God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
“ Those who know my commands and obey them are the ones who love me, and my Father will love those who love me. I will love them and will show myself to them.” – John 14:21
“The Father Himself loves you. He loves you because you loved Me and believed that I came from God.”- John 16:27
“And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out His love to fill our hearts. He gave us His love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us…But God shows His great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” – Romans 5:5,8
“So what should we say about this? If God is with us, no one can defeat us. He did not spare His own Son but gave Him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things…Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can troubles or problems or sufferings or hunger or nakedness or danger or violent death?…But in all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us. Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”- Romans 8:31-32,35,37-39
“The Lord shows His true love every day. At night I have a song, and I pray to my living God.”- Psalms 42:8
“Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love to us: He sent His one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through Him. This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending his Son to be the way to take away sins. Dear friends, if God loved us that much we also should love each other. No one has ever seen God, but if we love each other, God lives in us and His love is made perfect in us…Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears. We love because God first loved us.”- 1 John 4:7-12, 18-19 ( I highly recommend reading this whole chapter.)
Commit these scriptures to heart and memory like a Faith Hill song or a Jay-Z rap. Began confessing them and watch how God reveal all the many ways He loves you and thinks about you. God bless you with love, favor, joy, peace, and healing. In Jesus name. Amen.
*All scriptures are quoted from the New Century Version Bible translation.
God Has Not Forgotten About You
For the days, weeks, months, and years when you see everyone passing you by and you feel like God has forgotten about you:
1. “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”- Galatians 6:9 NLT
2. “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.” – Psalms 126:5 NLT
3. “They love the Lord’s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night.They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves don’t die. Everything they do will succeed.”- Psalms 1:2-3 NCV
Posted in General Topics
Biblical Scriptures to Prove Jesus is God
1. Isaiah prophesied: Isaiah 9:6
2. God said this in the 10 Commandments: Exodus 20:1-6
However, in the following 5 scriptures you see people worshipping Jesus and yet He doesn’t rebuke them:
Matthew 2:11; Matthew 14:22-33; Matthew 28:5-10 and 16-20; Luke 24:44-52
Also, an angel tells John not to worship him, but to worship God in these two scriptures:
Revelation 19:9-10 and Revelation 22:8-9
3. Matthew 1:18-25 references a prophecy from Isaiah: Isaiah 7:14
4. Four apostles called Jesus God:
a. John- John 1:1-14
b. Thomas- John 20:24-29
c. Peter- 2 Peter 1:1
d. Paul- Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14
5. The Jewish leaders wanted to stone Jesus for blasphemy (making Himself equal with God) and in fact found Him guilty and sentenced Him to death for the same reason:
John 8:12-59; John 10:22-39; Mark 14:53-65
6. Most importantly Jesus calls Himself God or calls Himself the names that are only attributed to God:
– John 8:24-28 and 58 (verse 58 should sound familiar. Here’s a hint: Exodus 3:13-14)
– Revelation 1:8 and 17-18
– Revelation 21:5-8
– Revelation 22:12-16
This Is My Prayer
#alllivesmatter #prayer #Jesus #princeofpeace #mightyGod #wonderfulcounselor #everlastingfather Isaiah 9:1-7
Father, there is so much oppression and injustice going on in this country. Lord, we need You. We need Your strength and Your courage to step up and stand up for the defenseless. We need Your peace in these chaotic times. We need Your love to fight against hate. We need Your wisdom to fight against ignorance. We need You to have our backs as we try to continually be a light in a dark world. I thank You in advance for the people you’ll send to answer the call no matter the cost because they understand that all human life is precious to You. I thank You for hearing and answering my prayer and the prayers of others who are praying for the same thing. For Your glory. In Jesus name. Amen.
Draw Near to God 40 Day Challenge
I’ll admit that I don’t take advantage of some of the free time I have and spend it with God. Despite the fact that I read my devotions in the morning and at night I still have a desire to be in God’s presence. So I’m challenging myself over the next 40 days to spend more time with God through prayer, reading the Bible (outside of my devotions), and praise and worship.
40 Day Prayer:
Neighbors Finances
Church/Church Leaders Obedience
City Leaders Wisdom/Discernment
State Leaders Grace
Country’s Leaders Mercy
International Leaders Deliverance
Friends Faith
Family/Families Health (Physical/Mental)
Enemies Repentance
Schools Love
Youth Peace
Children Joy
Teachers/Educators Gentleness
Principals Kindness
Unemployed Self-control
Un-saved Patience
Co-Workers/Supervisor/Employed Faithfulness
Judges Strength
Police Courage
Entertainers Purpose
40 Day Bible Reading List Options:
* Matthew (1 ch./day for 28 days) + Luke (2 chs./day for 12 days): 28 + 12= 40 days
* Proverbs (1 ch./day for 31 days) + Ecclesiastes (2 chs./day for 6 days) + Song of Songs/Song of Solomon (3 chs. for 2 days and 2 chs. for one day): 31 + 6 + 3= 40 days
* Timothy (1 ch./day for 10 days) + Thessalonians (1 ch./day for 8 days) + Galatians (1 ch./day for 6 days) + Ephesians (1 ch./day for 6 days) + Philippians (1 ch./day for 4 days) + Colossians (2 chs./day for 2 days) + Titus (3 chs./day for 1 day) + Philemon (1 ch./day for one day): 10 + 8 + 6 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 3 + 1= 40 days
* Psalms (4 chs./day for 37 days, Psalm 118 for 1 day, Psalm 119 for one day) + 1 off day= 40 days
* Mark (1 ch./day for 16 days) + John (1 ch./day for 21 days) + 3 off days= 40 days
* Romans ( 2 chs./day for 8 days) + Corinthians (1 ch./day for 29 days) + 3 off days=40 days
* Revelation (1 ch./day for 22 days) + John ( 1 ch./day for 8 days) + Peter (1 ch./day for 7 days) + 3 off days= 40
40 Day Praise and Worship Song List:
“For Your Glory”/ Bishop Paul S. Morton
“Pure”/ Gateway Worship
“Great & Mighty”/ Champion or Byron Cage
“You Are Good”/ Gateway Worship
“What Joy (Psalm 146)”/ Generation Church
“Hungry”/ Joy Williams
“Healer”/ Kari Jobe
“Revelation Song”/ Gateway Church
“We Exalt Your Name”/ Kari Jobe
“Everything”/ Tye Tribbett
“You Reign”/ Vashawn Mitchell
“Take Me to the King”/ Tamela Mann
“Happy”/ Tasha Cobbs
“Rescue”/ Women of Faith
“Lord You’re Mighty”/ JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise
“To Worship You I Live (Away)”/ Israel Houghton
“You’re All I Need”/ Hezekiah Walker
“Amazed”/ Desperation Band
“You Are My Strength”/ William H. Murphy
“Consume This Heart”/ Drew Chambers
“Indescribable”/ Kierra Sheard
“Undignified”/ David Crowder Band
“You Are For Me”/ Kari Jobe
“You Are the Living Word”/ Fred Hammond
“Love Him Like I Do”/ Deitrick Haddon
“I Call Your Name”/ Free Chapel/ Ricardo Sanchez
“Mighty to Save”/ Hillsong
“Great is Your Mercy”/ Donnie McClurkin
“Lord We Are Waiting”/ Tamela Mann
“Always”/ Kirk Franklin
“I Can Only Imagine”/ Tamela Mann
“Open Up the Sky”/Deluge
“Awesome”/ Charles Jenkins
“Amazing”/ Ricky Dillard
“Faithful is Our God”/ Hezekiah Walker
“Yahweh”/ Mali Music
“We Fall Down”/ Nichole Nordeman
“Jesus Loves Me”/ Whitney Houston
“I Love the Lord”/ Whitney Houston
“My Life, My Love, My All”/ Kirk Franklin
Posted in General Topics
Hope For Victorious Living (Saying #7)
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me will have life even if they die.'” – John 11:25 (NCV)
After three days, death could no longer hold on to Jesus (Matthew 28:6, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:5-7, John 20:14-15). And because He lives we too will live (John 14:19)! Praise God! For we have the victory in Jesus Christ!
Seven Reasons We Have Hope For Living Victoriously:
1. We are always connected to an All-Knowing and All-Powerful God when we stay in His presence (“Hope in the Presence of the Prince of Peace (Saying #1)“).
2. We don’t have to live in guilt and shame because if we confess our sins to God “…He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”- 1 John 1:9 (NLT) (“Hope For Forgiveness (Saying #2)“)
3. Because the Lord is a merciful, kind, and faithful God (Exodus 34:6), He is willing to give us 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on chances (“Hope For A Second Chance/New Start (Saying #3)“).
4. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us to help us everyday (“Hope For A Helper (Saying #4)“).
5. Jesus is everything we need (“Hope For Fulfillment (Saying #5)“).
6. We don’t have to worry about the afterlife because Jesus paid our way with His own life (“Hope For Redemption (Saying #6)“).
7. Because Christ defeated death through His resurrection, we who believe in Him will also defeat death and be victorious over sin (“Hope For Victorious Living (Saying #7)“).
Hope For Redemption (Saying #6)
“When Jesus tasted the vinegar, He said, ‘It is finished.’ Then He bowed His head and died.”- John 19:30 (NCV)
Alright, now I’m ready to talk for a little while about sin (I wasn’t ready in the “Hope in the Presence of the Prince of Peace (Saying #1)” post). Alright, so we know the story about Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, right? If not, read Genesis chapter 3 because it tells the story of the beginning of sin. Here are some facts about sin:
1. Death is the payment for sin (Romans 6:23)
2. It separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2)
3. All of us have sinned (Romans 3:23)
At the church I used to go to the pastor that was there at that time said, “If you don’t remember anything, remember this: God loved us. We would not stop sinning. Therefore, one of us had to die. Thankfully, God chose Himself instead of us.” So when Jesus said on the cross that “It is finished” he meant that He paid for our sins (not His because He had no sin-2 Corinthians 5:21) with His death. Why did God choose Himself? Because He “loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life.”- John 3:16 (NCV) Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have hope in being redeemed. Now that’s something to thank God for everyday.
Posted in General Topics
Purpose, Acceptance, Identity, Love, and Security 