Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING OR WOULD I

I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING OR WOULD I
I’ m a little different. I always ask the Lord to teach me through anything, to show me a lesson from any source. Always the Bible, and maybe a song, a tv show, a movie, a story, anything. As I was on my way to the post office some time back I turned on the radio. A song came on talking about things that the singer wished he would have done, but now can’t. Things like ( got to know his father better, or told his brother he loved him as he went off to war instead of just saying goodby ). You hear people all the time say I wouldn’t change a thing, it is what has made what I am today. Let me ask you, " Could you be better than what you are, and could your relationships be in a better place than they are today? "
The song went on to say, " Some people say I wouldn’t change a thing even if I could well I would." In my own life I would change some things in my past if I could. I would have gotten to know my dad better and why he was the way he was.. I would have gotten some understanding of the bible and grown in God, instead of walking in bitterness.. I would have told my sister that I loved her instead of being silent as she laid there on that hospital bed dying. I was 18 years and 4 months old when I got saved and I spent the next 26 years walking in bitterness. That is 46 years and 4 months of going and living in the wrong way. So yes I would change some things.
HEBREWS 12:15AMPLIFIED
15. Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it–
I left a wake of contaminated and defiled people behind me. I never was in a church that was instructing people as to how to live based on God’s word so I lived as the world. I was easy to hurt and I would seek to get back at those who hurt me. No church taught me to walk in forgiveness and to not take offence. When we come to Christ we are babes and need nurturing and teaching, because we know nothing. I finally grew and God got me on track, but there was a lot of wasted years and damaged people to try to fix. A few minutes of acting wrong can take years and even a lifetime to correct or never. That is why I speak out to those I see walking the wrong path, in hope’s that I can jog them enough to turn then in the right direction. So they don’t wake up one day with a mountain of regrets.
Taking offence and walking in un-forgiveness is where the devil will attack. If he can get you there he will lead you into bitterness and that will eat you up along with everyone who comes in contact with you.
Forgiveness is the main thing. Do not take offence at what others do, but rather walk in instant forgiveness. Sometimes we see it different than it is meant, or don’t understand why it was done that way, and it wasn’t meant to hurt or harm, but we have taken it that way.
Mark 11:25-26 Amplified
25And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and
let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.
26.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.
Did you now you can be caught up in un-forgiveness even with people who are dead and gone. It isn’t hurting them, but it’s killing you. Sometimes it is buried deep in your heart, lurking there, holding you back, and you don’t even realize it. I am going to share with you an account of what happened to me one day as I was driving home. I had been to a town up north and was returning, and as I approached my town there are two cemeteries just outside of the city limits, one of which my dad is buried. The Lord spoke to me to turn in and drive up to my dads grave. I did this and parked beside his grave. I asked, "why am I here?"
The Lord said we have to address some issues that are deep within your heart which are holding you back, and you don’t even realize it. Ok what do I do now? The Lord said, " This will not help your dad for he can not hear you, however it will help you. I want you to look at his grave and speak to it as if you dad could hear you. Tell him what you would say if he could hear you. Talk just like he was standing before you." I sat there looking at that grave and thinking what would I say. Then it poured out. I said," Dad you left this earth way to soon. I never really got to know you. You were always just outside of my reach. I never understood why you never got close to your family. When you were there it was like you weren’t. You provided for us, but were not a part of us it seemed. Lot’s of things have happened since you have passed on. I would like to introduce you to your granddaughter Zoe and your grandson John, which you never got to see as they were born after your passing. I have held it against you for keeping us at a distance and leaving this life while in that state. Why were you the way you were is what I would like to know? Lord that is what I would say to my dad if he were hear to listen" The Lord then spoke to me and said," Mike you have harbored un-forgiveness towards your dad, and it’s deep within you, and we can now deal with it, and get rid of it once and for all. I’m going to show you why your dad was like he was, what made him that way. First he loved you and all his family more than you can understand, and that made him hold you at arms length. He was not always that way. He was very close to you the first 5 years of your life. He was very close to his own dad. Your dad never leaned on me, and held everything inside himself. I never created man to lean on himself. A person can not take the stress of this like upon himself, he must give his cares to me, because he can’t deal with them. Your dad tried to deal with it himself. When you were 5 your grandpa died. He ask to speak with your dad. The conversation they had that day will never be revealed, but that is the day your dad changed in his family life. Your dad took that conversation to the grave with him. When asked about it he would say it was between his dad and him and on one else. I have to respect that and can not reveal it to you what was said there that day. I can tell you this. The passing of your grandpa hurt your dad deep, because they were so close. He tried to deal with it in his own way not letting me comfort him. So your dad never wanted to hurt that deep ever again, and started to push people away and build walls to protect his heart from that kind of hurt ever again. Now you can understand why." I left that cemetery that day forgiving my dad and with a new understanding of the man. I talked to my mom about what happened that day. She said that my dad was loving, out going, and very close to his family, and the day my grandpa died it all changed. That confirmed everything the Lord spoke to me that day in the cemetery.
So I say to anyone reading this you may not know the whole story and may never now it about why others acted they way they did in your life, but you must forgive anyway. It will only hold you back if you don’t.
Matthew 18:22-35 KJV.
22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN A GREAT DEBT THAT WE COULD NOT PAY AND WE SHOULD FORGIVE OTHERS.....
YES I WOULD CHANGE THE PAST IF I COULD, BUT SINCE I CAN’T I WILL CHANGE THE PRESENT. PLEASE SEARCH YOUR HEARTS’S AND ASK THE LORD TO SHOW YOU THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW SO THAT IN 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 YEARS FROM NOW YOU WON’T HAVE TO SAY I WISH I COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE THAT. SEARCH YOUR HEART’S AND SEE IF YOU HARBOR ANY UN-FORGIVENESS TOWARDS ANY AN FORGIVE THEM. THIS WAS HARD FOR ME TO WRITE SA IT TOOK ME BACK TO THAT DAY IN THE CEMETERY, AND IT WAS JUST AS REAL NOW AS THEN. THE TEARS FLOWED AND THE MEMORY OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN, CAME RUSHING IN FILLING MY HEART. IT IS WORTH IT TO RELIVE IN ORDER TO HELP OTHERS. MY DAD DID GET HIS HEART RIGHT AND IS WITH THE LORD. HE MADE IT RIGHT THE DAY HE DIED. I WILL GET TO SEE HIM AGAIN.

Monday, April 21, 2008

THE MELTED HEART PT. 1

THE MELTED HEART
THE TROUBLE WITH PROBLEMS
DISTRACTIONS
John 16:33 KJV.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
It doesn’t matter if you are in the will of God or not, it is a fact that troubles will encounter problems. It is clear from the word of God that problems will come your way. In this life problems will come whether by circumstances, or by people. Jesus said in the world you will have tribulation ( pressure, problems, trouble ). So if problems will come, then we should learn all we can about problems and the effect that they will have on our lives, and how to deal with them.
The number one thing we need to know above all else is that there is a danger attached to problems. The danger with problems is the DISTRACTION FACTOR. If you don’t watch it problems will DISTRACT you from the truth of the word that you have embraced and know to be true. You can become so distracted that you become a forgetful hearer, instead of a DOER of the WORD. The whole bottom line truth of the Parable of the sower is the distraction factor. The sower teaches us that the fruit we will receive from the Word of God sown into your life is going to be dependant upon the amount of attention that you place upon it. " The degree of importance that you place on what you hear determines the quality of the fruit produced. "
Mark 4:24 KJV.
24. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Mark 4:24 AMP.
24. And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.
Small amount = small back
Large amount = large back
It is very clear that we should not become so taken up by the problem that we become distracted from the truth that God has revealed to us.
Peter gives us a good example of this. He knew by revelation from God that Jesus was the Christ. But when it came down to it he was so distracted by the fear of the people and the Roman Soldiers that he Denied Christ. He got his heart off what he new to be true, and focused on the distraction of the problem at hand.
Mark 11:23
23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
The mountain of distraction. There are people so captivated with the mountain that they have forgotten what God said to do about the mountain in their lives. So captivated with their problem that it is all they see and all they talk about. If we don’t watch it we can become so captivated our problem at work ( boss - employ.. Employ - boss relationship ) that we forget to conduct ourselves as God said to do in those positions. Divorce is so prevalent today because people get so distracted by their marriage problems that they forget to do what God said to do in a marriage.
So we must realize that the one of main dangers connected to problems is the DISTRACTION FACTOR.
The next danger is once we get distracted and have our eyes on the wrong thing, we most likely will stop feeding on the Word and will become depleted.
Eph. 5:17-19 KJV.
17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
The word Filled in this scripture means TO REPLETE.
Replete: saturated, To cram, It also means to level up.. Such as to fill a pot hole.
We have a responsibility to replete, to cram, to level up.
If you can replete then you can deplete.
We can...
1. Become distracted and because of that we can
2. Become depleted.
If we don’t watch it we can become so depleted that our hearts melt.
A person with a melted heart is in a very dangerous place.
Joshua 2:8-11
8. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
9. And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
10. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
11. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
Verse 8 uses the word Faint which means Melt.. (They Melted)
Verses 10 and 11 tells us their hearts melted, and their courage left them because of what they heard.
Verses 10 and 11 in the Amplified Version says this.
10. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the [east] side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
11. When we heard it, our hearts melted, neither did spirit or courage remain any more in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
These people were facing the Lord and His people, and when they heard what The Lord had done to the enemies of the Israelites they were fearful.
1. They Heard
2. They melted or fainted in heart.
3. There was no more spirit or courage in them.
A melted heart can happen to anyone who puts his trust in what he see’s or hears, instead of what the Lord has said.
The war against Ai went bad for Israel, because of sin in the camp. Something wasn’t right in their walk, and a small group of people defeated the Israelites in battle. Let’s look at what happened.
Joshua 7:1-5
1. But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
3. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
4. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
5. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
There were problems caused by the disobedience and sin of one in the camp. These problems cause the heart of the people to melt.

THE MELTED HEART PT. 2

NOW let’s go to Joshua Chapter 14. This is approx. 45 years after the spies gave the evil report. Joshua has become the leader and taken them into the promised land.
Joshua 14:6-7 KJV.
6. Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
7. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
Caleb said speaking of the spy mission that he had back the word AS IT WAS IN HIS HEART.
What was that word. This is that word spoken by Caleb, " Let us go up at once and possess it for we are well able. CALEB SPOKE FROM HIS HEART.
2 Corinthians 4:13
13. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
Now the 10 spies report after Caleb’s report was this.
Numbers 13:30-33
30. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
31. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
33. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Joshua 14:7-8
7. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
8. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
We must learn from this. Caleb spoke what he believed, and the 10 spies spoke as a result of what they saw. Caleb had faith in what God had said, and the spies had fear of what they had seen.
Proverbs 16:23 KJV.
23. The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
2 Corinthians 5:7
7. (For we walk by faith, not by sight
Proverbs 16:23 tells us that the heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. Caleb was a man of faith, and he kept his mouth hooked to his heart. The 10 spies walked by sight and kept there lips hooked to their flesh and mind. If you don’t watch it you will get your mouth hooked up to your flesh and mind and be distracted by what you see and hear.
Moses tells the account of sending in the spies in Numbers chapters 13 and 14, and also in Deuteronomy 1:22-28. Let’s look at the account in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 1:22-32
22. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
23. And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
24. And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
25. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.
26. Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
27. And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
28. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
29. Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
31. And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
32. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
33. Who went in the
The spies were sent in to give a report on what the people were like and what the cities were like and what the land was like. They were not sent in to make a judgement on whether they were able to conquer it, for they had God’s word on the fact that it was given unto them already. The truth of how easy it was going to be is revealed in Exodus chapter 23. It didn’t matter how big the giants were. The fight was the Lords. He had prepared an army of Hornets to do the battle. And also given them a time table on how long it would take and why.
Let’s look
Exodus 23:24-33
24. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
25. And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31. And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
When taking a hunter safety course I learned about the process of succession. What the Lord was doing here is causing succession in one area and stopping it in another area.
Succession: the act or process of one person's taking the place of another in the enjoyment of or liability for rights or duties or both
If the Israelites would obey and go in an possess the land as the Lord had wanted, he would have sent in hornets to drive the giants out little by little. Little by little in the process of time the land would become the Israelites. A succession of the land from the giants to them.
The other side of succession that the Lord would stop is this. If you clear land over time the succession process will cause the land to return back to a wild state. So if the Lord cleared out the whole land all at once, and the Israelite’s didn’t have enough people to inhabit the land, and the wild beasts would come in and multiply against them before they were populated enough to fill the land. So God’s plan was to slowly move out the giants and allow the Israelites to multiply and move in and fully occupy the land which would not take less than a year. It would take some time, but they would not have to fight any battles.
Back to Deuteronomy 1:28
28. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
DISCOURAGED in verse 28 means Melted, or Fainted.
The original plan for the spies was to find out the best route into the land to travel by, and what cities they would encounter along the way. They had a lot of people to move and needed to know the best way. They got distracted by the giants and the walled cities and forgot that the Lord would fight their battles for them.
Another word for the melted heart is Cast Down.
Psalms 42:5-6 KJV.
5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
Another sign of a melted heart is being Overwhelmed.
Psalms 61:1-2
1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
When you see the melted heart it is speaking of a heart that is distracted, fainted, discouraged, cast down, and overwhelmed. The melted heart comes in by two doors. What we see, and what we hear. ( when they (we) heard, and when they (we) saw) It is possible for a persons heart to become melted. And it is possible for this to occur through what we see, watch, view, and what we hear, listen to, and think on.
The most important issue is what will occur if we allow our hearts to become melted. As we examine the fruits of the melted heart it is going to be possible to not only spot those who may be melted in their hearts, but we may find areas of our own lives where our heart is melted. You can be melted in one area and not another. As I study deeper into this I have found areas where my heart was melted, and I see people all around with melted hearts concerning their marriages, children, jobs, and security concerning their future.

THE MELTED HEART PT. 3

LET’S LOOK AT THE FRUITS OF THE MELTED HEART.
Number 1 Your possibilities become impossibilities within your mind.
Number 2 You think the obtaining of the promise of God is conditional upon the removal of external conditions or circumstances. Isn’t it interesting that Israel, before they knew there were walled cities and giants in the land, were ready to go in and possess the land. It’s our land. The Lord has given it to us. It’s going to be glorious over there. THEN they heard of the walled cities, and they heard of the giants, and their hearts melted. They felt these things needed to be removed before they could obtain the promise of God. The present conditions and circumstances does not dictate whether the promises of God are obtainable. The only way the circumstances can stop the promises is if you let them stop your faith. If giants need to be removed they will be as we step into the promise. God can deliver any promise in any circumstance that stands in the land. He can supply your needs even in a bad economy.
[ I heard a testimony of a young lady. She said it was dark and her car was not in a well lighted area. It was in an alley. She came out to her car and it didn’t start. It didn’t even make a sound when she turned the key. She prayed Lord help my car start. As she turned the key again it fired right up and she drove off. When she got home and told her dad the car didn’t want to start till she prayed. He went out to check the battery cable connection and to his surprise there was no battery just the cables laying there. Later they found out that a gang had taken the battery and was waiting in the bushes to attack and rob who ever came to the car. It freaked them out to see the car drive away while the battery was on the ground beside them in the bushes. ] God doesn’t need a battery to make a car run, and he doesn’t need the giants to be gone before you step into the land. He only needs you to believe..
Number 3. Another fruit of the melted heart is that YOU DRAW BACK. When Israel’s heart was melted the one thing they wanted to do was go back, back to Egypt. You start pulling backwards. You draw back.
2 Tim. 1:7 KJV.
7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
FEAR: timidity, cowardliness, or to pull back.
Could be that if you are showing signs of pulling back, showing signs of surrender, turning your back on the possibility of ever experiencing the life (promise) of God in an area of your life, if could just be that you are experiencing a melted heart.
Proverbs 4:23 KJV.
23. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23 New Living
23. Guard your heart above all else,for it determines the course of your life.
We must keep our hearts full of the Word and full of faith and hope, for out of the heart will come the answers to the problems of life or the defeat of a melted heart.
Number 4. Another fruit of a melted heart is You will not go where God says go. You won’t step out with a melted heart. You will cower in fear.
Number 5. You won’t do what God says do. People with a melted heart won’t go and they won’t do what God asks them ... WHY? Their heart is melted, they have lost their courage, they have fainted, lost their strength, their passion, and their drive is gone. They have become so distracted by their problems and focused on the enormity of it, that they have become depleted, and their heart has melted.
They look at the problem and think nothing can save my marriage, nothing can turn my job around, or whatever the problem is they see it so big it can’t be fixed. They just give up and drown in a melted heart thinking they are alone and no one cares.
Number 6. Another fruit of a melted heart is they cry or weep a lot. If you have spent hours, days and into weeks weeping over your marriage, or the lack of a spouse, your job, your health, your children, or the future, it may be a sign that you are experiencing a melted heart in the area that brings you to tears.
Numbers 14:1-4 KJV.
1. And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3. And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt
After the evil report of the spies was heard the people lost hope and gave way to a melted heart. We see some of the signs in Numbers 14 :1-4. We see weeping, and murmuring against those who did not have a melted heart, and fear for themselves and their wives and children, and they wanted to turn back.

the melted heart pt. 4

Number 7. Another fruit of a melted heart is murmuring.
As I just stated we see that sign raise up in numbers 14:2.
People who complain and murmur are producing signs of a melted heart. Notice they wanted to turn back in verse four.
Their possibilities are now turned to impossibilities.
They are not going where God told them to go.
They are not going what God said to do.
They are drawing back.
When a heart is melted a sense of Hopelessness prevails.
A nothing I can do about it attitude prevails.
A TRAPPED FEELING WILL BE EXPERIENCED.
Your former passions are only a memory.
The drive that once propelled you through the thick and thin is a distant memory.
Once you focus only on the problem and all that needs to be corrected you lose sight of the answer. The answer slips on by and with it all your hope and courage also. You no longer stand up for what is right and what is yours. Your drive is only something you sue to have.
We really need to search our hearts and see if we have a melted heart in any area of our lives. Any areas that we have given up in, that we complain about, murmur about, lost courage in, no longer stand up for the truth in, lost hope in, lost our drive in, or lost our passion .. If we find these things in us it’s a sign that we’ve become so taken up with our problems, so captivated by our issues, that we have become melted.
Psalms 42: 5-6 KJV.
5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
David realized that his soul was cast down. We must check our soul, and guard our heart. If we find our heart in a cast down melted state then we must do as David, and put our self in remembrance of what God has done and promised.
Get our focus back on the Word Of Truth. David knew he couldn’t allow his heart to remain in a cast down state for an extended period of time. You can’t either. At the first inkling of a melted cast down heart you must get that out or it will pull you down.
Psalm 61:1-2 KJV.
1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
OVERWHELMED: faint. Covered, feeble
David knew his heart was in trouble, that it was overwhelmed. He was also aware that he could not allow his heart to stay in that condition. It is dangerous to remain in a melted state for hours, days weeks, or months over issues and problems. We must realize that we have a responsibility to maintain our hearts. It’s not going to be what Pastor so and so can do, or brother so and so, or even what our spouse can do for us. It is going to be what we must do for ourselves. Others can step in and help, however if they don’t recognize the fruits of a melted heart in you then no one will step in to help. Can’t wait for other to help. We must patrol our own hearts and keep them strong.
IF WE HAVE LOST OUR COURAGE, IF WE HAVE LOST OUR STRENGTH, OR IF WE HAVE LOST OUR PASSION, DRIVE, AND EXCITEMENT, THEN COULD IT BE THAT WE ARE DEPLETED?
a DEPLETED PERSON IS HEADED FOR A MELTED HEART. We must ask ourselves, " WHAT DO I DO, WHAT AM I TO DO?" If it be that I am depleted and melted in areas of my life. If I have given up, if I have total hopelessness in areas of my life. Go to the rock that is higher than I. The Spirit of God is here to guide and lead us into all truth. WE first have to realize Yeah that’s me and I need help in that area.
It may be about your job.
It may be about your future.
It may be about your kids.
It may be about your ministries.
It may be about anything concerning you.
There is a good possibility that somewhere in each of our lives is an area that we have been distracted and overwhelmed in by a problem and melted.
WHAT DO WE DO?
Numbers 14 gives us a clue to help. People who are weeping, complaining, and exhibiting all the other fruits of the melted heart help for them is available for them. And if we find ourselves in that state help is there for us as well.
Numbers 14:1-9
1. And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3. And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
5. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7. And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not
You will not get help during a time of crying and murmuring. You must have a teachable, listening, receptive heart.
Verse 9 tells us to not rebel against the Lord. ( not believing and not acting on His word is rebelling ). Neither fear the people (problems). And the Lord is with us.

THE MELTED HEART PT. 5

The NUMBER ONE thing that we need to be reminded of when facing a melted heart is THE LORD IS WITH US. DON’T FEAR THE PROBLEM. Don’t become so taken with the problem, so captivated with the enormity of the circumstances that we forget THE LORD IS WITH US.
DEUT. 1:28-33 tells us more of what Moses told them. Not only is God with you, and fighting your battles, but remember what He has done.
Deuteronomy 1:28-33
28. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
29. Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
31. And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
32. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
33. Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
In verse 30 Moses told them the Lord goes before them and fights for them and to remember what they saw the Lord do in Egypt with their own eyes. One of the tools Moses used to minister and try to turn the melted hearts of the people was to put them in remembrance of what the Lord had done for them in the past. They only got depleted when they focused on the problems facing them. Could that which Moses tried to do be a key ingredient to waiting on the Lord.
ISAIAH 40:31
31. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Wait: bind together.. To expect
This word stresses the straining of the mind in a certain direction, with an expectant attitude. A forward look with assurance. We can renew our strength by putting ourselves in remembrance of what the Lord has done in the past. His character, His history, His faithfulness. Sarah received strength to conceive because she judged Him ( Faithful who promised ). The Faithfulness of God. Remembering what God has done for you in the past will re-energize your melted heart. It will put passion back in your life again. It will put drive in your actions.
However so many people today are so focused on the problems facing them that they have forgotten what the Lord has done for them in the past. Which is key to knowing that He will be faithful today and tomorrow as well. Looking back at the faithfulness of God will give you strength to continue to possess that which looks impossible to possess.
WHY ?
Because if He has been faithful in the past He will be faithful in the present and in the future.
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU HAVE A MELTED HEART?
In the children of Israel’s case they had Moses, Aaron, Joshua, And Caleb to step in. How many of you realize that most of us don’t have that many people who will step in when our hearts become melted. A lot of us don’t have people that are brave enough, knowledgeable enough, that are concerned enough when the see our heart overwhelmed, that they will feel free enough to step into our life and re-energize us with words, right words. To remind us when God was faithful to us in situations in the past. And how He will be faithful to us right now as we trust and rely on Him. Not a lot of people in our lives that are brave enough to do that. Not a lot of people in our lives concerned enough to do that.
I have to be more concerned about my heart than others are concerned about my heart. That way if no ne else step up to put me in remembrance of the Faithfulness of God in my life, I can do it. I have to keep myself in remembrance like David did. You will have to be that way also about your own heart. Then you need to look for others that need help and be that one who steps in and reminds them of God’s faithfulness and encourage them to look to the answer and not to focus on the problem. Don’t focus on the enormity of the problems. Joshua is getting ready to lead a huge multitude of people into the promised land. There will be many problems and distractions. The Lord gave Joshua some words that would cause him to be able to have the strength to go, and to do, and resist the melted heart, and to minister to those who have a melted heart. JOSHUA 1:5
5. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
In this verse the word STAND means: to put one in a stationary place in front of you in order to block you.
When you endeavor to possess the land ( or promises of God ) people and circumstances will try to block you. The thing to keep your eyes upon, the thing that will keep you going, when problems and people endeavor to block you, Is This Truth.
AS I WAS WITH MOSES SO WILL I BE WITH YOU. I WILL NEVER FAIL YOU. I WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU. I’LL NEVER FALL SHORT. I’LL NEVER BE UNSUCCESSFUL IN OBTAINING A DESIRED END. I’LL NEVER LOSE MY STRENGTH. I WILL NEVER DENOUNCE YOU. I WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU.
Why did God say as I was with Moses so will I be with you? Because when you face overwhelming situations, if you get distracted by them, you just might come to the conclusion that you are in it alone.
If we will remember just this one thing," As I was with Moses so will I be with you." It will strengthen you and give you the no matter what comes we will overcome it attitude. The toll that He gave Joshua to stand in the face of overwhelming situations is the fact that He is with us and is faithful. As David said, " When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." He is faithful. Let that get into your heart. Israel would not let that get into their hearts, and they gave up and quit time after time.
When problems pop up don’t faint, or become overwhelmed, and distracted with the problems to the point that you forget to do what God said to do about it. Get the Word of God on it and know He is faithful to perform that word. Problems come to face us all no matter who or what we are in life. When a problem pops up go on the attack. He is faithful, reliable, and dependable. He is trustworthy. He will help us. We are not in it alone.
Each one of us must look deep into our own hearts and check ourselves.
Here is our check list. See if we do any of these in any area of our lives.
1. Have we lost our drive, passion, or desire.
2. Do we hold or draw back.
3. Have we fainted and given up.
4. Do we not go where God said to go.
5. Do we not say what God said to say.
6. Do we not do what God said to do.
7. Do we murmur.
8. Do we complain.
9. Do we weep a lot.
If we are doing these thing then we are experiencing a melted heart.
Then I say remember His faithfulness to us in the past and it will strengthen us to go on. It will help us to have the courage to go possess the promises, and go and do what He has purposed us to do. His will cause us to stop looking at things as impossibilities. It will help us to not be distracted and depleted by problems and overwhelmed and melted, and pass on what we know. Let us help and encourage others. Let us be instruments of Gods Love towards others that need help... May we all not live in a melted condition ever again....
The children of Israel always wanted to turn back and hang on to things that would not help get them out of a melted heart but only cause more defeat. It reminds me of a story of how natives would catch monkeys. They would make a box with a banana`in it for bait. They would stake the box down and have a hole just big enough for the monkey to get his hand in but not back out while grasping the banana. The native would hide behind a tree and wait. A monkey would come by and see the banana and reach in and grab it, and then the native would come over and beat the monkey to death because once he grabbed the banana he would not let go of it. Let go of the problems because if you don’t you will be just like those monkeys. The devil will beat you silly while you hold onto the problem. You must not focus on the problem but rather the answer. All the monkey had to do was let go of the banana and he could have pulled his hand out and gotten away. All you have to do is let go of the problem and focus on what the Lord says about it and you will run free and your impossibilities will become possibilities.

Friday, April 11, 2008

SQUATTERS

.............SQUATTERS THE DEVIL IS A SQUATTER WHAT IS A SQUATTER? SQUATTING MEANS FINDING SOME EMPTY HOUSING AND MOVING YOURSELF IN WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LANDLORD. YOU MOVE IN AND ACT AS IF YOU BELONG. YOU CONDUCT YOURSELF JUST LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE. WE WERE ALL DEAD MEN WALKING BEFORE WE CAME TO CHRIST. WE ALL WERE DEAD IN OUR TRESPASSES AND SINS. WE WERE ALL WALKING IN THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, BUT JESUS GAVE US A WAY TO A NEW BIRTH, AND WE CAN BECOME A NEW CREATION. Ephesians 2:1-10 1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them NOW AFTER WE BECOME A NEW CREATION WE MUST REALIZE THAT OUR SPIRIT HAS BECOME NEW AND ALIVE TO GOD, BUT WE STILL HAVE THE SAME MIND. NO NEW BRAIN OR DATA IN THAT BRAIN. WE WILL STILL BE DRAWN TO ACT AS BEFORE IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR MIND. IT IS LIKE AN ON BOARD COMPUTER. COMPUTERS ONLY FUNCTION ON WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN PROGRAMED TO DO. HOW DO WE OVER COME THIS PROBLEM? WE MUST REPROGRAM OUR MINDS
ROMANS 12:1-2 TELLS US TO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT TO BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS. TRANSFORMED MEANS TO CHANGE TO ANOTHER FORM. WE MUST CHANGE OUR MINDS FROM THE WORLDS WAY OF THINKING TO GODS WAY OF THINKING, AND WE THEN WILL CONFORM TO GODS WAY AND LEAVE THE WORLDS WAY BEHIND.
WEBSTERS DEFINITION OF TRANSFORMED:1 a : to change in composition or structure b : to change the outward form or appearance of c : to change in character or condition
THE DEVIL HAD THE RIGHT TO RULE AND LORD OVER US WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN OUR SINS AND TRESPASSES, BUT ONCE WE BECAME A NEW CREATION HE WAS KICKED OUT. HE REALLY THINKS HE STILL OWNS YOU AND HE WILL TRY TO COME BACK IN, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T STARTED TO FILL YOURSELF AND YOUR MIND WITH THE WORD OF GOD THE DEVIL WILL FIND A CLEAN HOUSE AND TRY TO MOVE BACK IN. HE IS A SQUATTER NOW, NOT AN OWNER.
HE REALLY BELIEVES YOU BELONG TO HIM. LET'S LOOK AT MATTHEW 12:43-45 AS IT WILL SHOW US WHAT THE DEVIL THINKS ABOUT US AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO FURNISH OUR HOUSE BY RENEWING OUR MINDS. MATTHEW 12: 43-45 43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
IN VERSE 44 THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT AFTER BEING KICKED OUT SAYS " I WILL RETURN TO MY HOUSE. HE COMES AND CHECKS IT OUT AND FINDS IT SWEPT AND CLEAN AND GARNISHED. HE FOUND IT CLEAN AND COSMETICALLY ADORNED, BUT NOTHING SOUND IN IT. THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT STILL THINKS IT IS HIS HOUSE.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF A PERSON THAT HAS GOTTEN SAVED AND DONE NOTHING TO GROW IN CHRIST AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE, THERE HAS BEEN NO RENEWING OF THE MIND, AND NO TRANSFORMING FROM THE WORLD TO GODS KINGDOM. THEY PUT ON A PLASTIC FACE AND SAY THE RIGHT WORDS AND GO TO CHURCH, BUT ARE EMPTY AND MALNOURISHED INSIDE.
SWEPT AND CLEAN AND GARNISHED. SUPERFICIAL, SHALLOW, EXTERNAL, PRESENTING ONLY AN APPEARANCE, WITHOUT SUBSTANCE OR SIGNIFICANCE. LACKING IN DEPTH OR SOLIDITY. A LACK OF DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE, REASONING, EMOTION, OR CHARACTER:moral excellence and firmness.
Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
WE CAN MAKE OUR EXTERIOR LOOK SO GOOD. AND BE SO BAD AND EMPTY INSIDE. WHEN WE COME TO CHRIST AND BECOME BRAND NEW AND OUR HOUSE IS SWEPT AND CLEAN AND WE HAVE DECORATED THE EXTERIOR, LET'S NOT STOP THERE BUT FILL THE INSIDE WITH GODS WORD, AND WALK IN HIS PROMISES AND RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE.
THE MAN WHO DID NOTHING TO THE INSIDE PAID A HEAVY PRICE. THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT CAME BACK AND SAW A CLEAN AND DECORATED HOUSE AND WENT AND BROUGHT BACK WITH HIM SEVEN MORE WICKED THAN HE AND MOVED RIGHT BACK IN. DON'T LET THE SQUATTERS IN. THEY WILL DESTROY THE PLACE. THEY WILL DESTROY YOUR LIFE. THEY WILL STEAL YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR FINANCES. RENEW YOUR MINDS TO THE WORD AND LET GOD RESTORE ALL THE SQUATTING DEVIL TOOK FROM YOU.
REMEMBER THE ONLY RIGHTS SQUATTERS HAVE ARE THE ONES YOU GIVE THEM BY YOUR LACK OF CONCERN AND LACK OF DOING ANYTHING TO KEEP THEM OUT. THE DEVIL HAS NO RIGHT TO RULE IN YOUR LIFE, BUT HE WILL TRY, AND IF YOU DON'T RESIST HIM HE WILL TAKE OVER AND BRING TROUBLE IN WITH HIM.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

You Can Cook

EDIFICATION " YOU CAN COOK "
You can help another person bring out their gift and change the course of their life with a word of encouragement and edification, A word to build up and uplift instead of tear down.
Romans 15: 1-3
1. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
3. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
[ That means you step in and deflect the rebukes and put downs, and offer edification and uplifting words to those who were being attacked. ]

Jeremiah 1:5 KVJ.
5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Passage Jeremiah 29:11 KJV.
11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Passage Acts 10:34 KJV.
34. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord is telling Jeremiah that he knew him before he was formed, and that he had sanctified, and ordained him before he was born.
Later on in chapter 29 verse 11 the Lord tells him that the thoughts toward him were of peace and not evil, and to give him an expected end. [ the word translated thoughts is better translated as plans. ] In the new testament Peter in Acts 10:34 tells us God is no respecter of persons. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO US?
It means that the lord knew us all, and gifted us all, and has a plan and purpose for
us all, with an expected end. A plan of peace and not evil. We need to find out what that plan is and walk it out in our lives.

Passage Proverbs 18:16 KJV.
16. A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
1 Timothy 1:14
14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
2 Timothy 1:6
6. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
Not all of us have had gifts imparted to us by the laying on of hands, however we all have gift that have been imparted to us by the Lord. We need to find out what those gifts are and then not neglect them and stir them us and walk in them.

Passage 2 Corinthians 10:8 KJV.
8. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
[ All of us should as Paul stated, use our authority in the Lord to build up others, and not to tear others down. ]
Everybody has a gift, a purpose, something they do well.. The trouble is some of us never realize that gift. Satan will do his best to get other to put us down so that we never realize the gift and it’s potential. Or he will maneuver us to use our gift wrong or unwisely. EXAMPLE.. The gift of Gab ( talking ) can be used to edify, uplift, and minister, however it can be used wrongly to gossip and put down.
When a person knows they have a gift, they have two choices to make concerning that gift.
1. They view the gift as something others may not understand. Others may not view it the same way as they do. So they put it away and never use it. They never realize the gifts potential, or the givers intention as to the use of the gift.
2. Or they realize the gift is to valuable to not be used and use it regardless of what others may say.
However many have unrealized gifts in them and never see it, because they are looking for a huge life changing thing, when the gift is small and must be used for it to grow and become it’s full potential in life.
I’m going to tell you a true story, where three words of encouragement changed the course of a mans life. It uplifted and gave him confidence. Those three words brought out his gift, and in the process helped many others and our economy at the same time. His gift effected a nation. However had it not been for a caring and discerning person who uttered those three words it never would have come forth.
This man had tried everything to get ahead in life. He applied to law school and was turned down. He tried all forms of businesses and was rejected. He simply was not what anyone wanted. No one thought he had anything to offer. He eventually got married, but could never get into any business, that could make it possible for he and his wife to live a comfortable life. He settled into a ho hum life as a dish washer/cook, never being able to put any money aside for retirement. At 65 he retired and received his first social security check. It was for 105 dollars. He was devastated, and decided to end his life. He wrote a final note, and headed out the door to kill himself. His wife felt something was up and stopped him asking him what he was up to. He told her the story of how he was going to end it, because he could do nothing worth anything. Sure you can she said. YOU CAN COOK were the next three words she said to him. He said do you really think so. She said yes you can cook. After all these years he realized his gift was being able to cook. He took his 105 dollars and went to the bank and borrowed 87 more dollars . He bought chickens and started cooking them in his special recipe, and selling them out of his house. It got so popular he tried to vend it through restaurants. He went to seek anyone that would sell his product. He was turned down 1,014 times, however on the 1,015th time he met a man by the name of John Y. Brown. John Brown said, " Col. Harlin Sanders I believe we can do business. Kentucky Fried Chicken was born.
3 simple words of encouragement changed the destiny of not just Mr. Sanders, but many others. It gave thousands of people jobs. Construction people who build the restaurants, people who work in the restaurants, those who make the napkins, plates, containers, cups, and work in the restaurants. And so many more in this nation that do thinks connected with Kentucky Fried Chicken. It all started with 3 words of encouragement, which brought out his gift. The gift was in him all the time, but he was looking for something big right off the bat. When that something big was in him all the time. It just needed to be recognized, planted, and allowed to grow, like a seed.
Don’t overlook what you do best, for it will be your gift, and it will make room for you. Always look for opportunities to edify and encourage others helping to bring their gifts out. Never join the crowd that is browbeating a person, but rather be a deflector, a shield for that person, and give them words that build them up.
3 words of encouragement took a man and his 105 dollars from suicide to helping hundreds of thousands of people and the economy of a nation. It took him from feeling worthless and unsuccessful with 105 dollars, to when he sold the business for 2 billion dollars. Realize this your gift in not only for you, but also to help others.