Small Bite

Sister Arnita Putman 

 

 

At some point in our walk with God we have to be who we really are-not just with God but with each other. We have to make who we are on the inside the same as the person we present to the world on the outside. Why? Not just because it is good or nice, but because it is necessary. The you you try to hide is the you that someone needs to know exist or existed and the current you is the product of the Lord's work in your life.

We need to present the inside us to the world because when we are dead and gone what will be remembered is our lives and what we did with them. It is the book of your life that can turn someone who didn't want to know about God to one of His biggest cheerleaders. As much as we may feel ashamed of the past sins we have committed or the things that people have done to us, all those things along with all your positive attributes make you who you are. Furthermore, God knew you before you were formed in the womb and saw the future plans he had for you and the trials that you would face and He allowed you to go through those things because they were necessary to your journey in Him. If God can see your muck and dirt and love you anyway, why be ashamed of it or hide it from man who is probably in the same position you were in?

What is it that you fear that tells you to put up a facade and only show the parts of yourself that you deem acceptable when God accepts and loves all of you? The things that were trying to destroy you made you strong and brought you closer to God.

We wear masks so long that we forget what we really look like and when we are reminded we are sometimes frightened, but God loved you before the mask and He will love you when you take it off. We masquerade as one thing and try to destroy anyone and anything that may expose us to the world, but isn't that what God wants? Doesn't He want us exposed to the world for the crap we have done and the things done to us so that we are living testimonies to the power of God to redeem and save?

It is the book of (insert your name here) that men will read even when the flyer that lists your accomplishments is what you are passing out. People who don't know God may not ever pick up a bible, but they will watch you and if they knew you when you weren't so pristine, they will wait for you to say so in front of the people who didn't know you then. They don't do this to hurt you necessarily, but even if they do, they are doing you a service unknowingly. They are opening the gate for you to walk naked and unashamed in the person God created you to be-flaws and all because they are corrected or are being corrected in Him.

How would someone reach the you you try so hard to hide? That is your tool to reach people like yourself and you walk in Christ is the book they read until they get to know the God that the bible talk about and they begin to inquire of Him on their own.

Do the people around you really know who you are-all of you? Do yo trust God enough to be exposed and not fearful of attack or rejection?  What will people remember of you, the mask or the book of your life that gave glory to God?

Prophet  LaSonya Battle

Dynamite is any class of explosives used for mining or blasting. Dynamite is exceptionally exciting and dangerous. Our dynamite is our right relationship with God; our prayer, fellowship with, love and obedience to God. Our dynamite has the power to break down walls and things that are not pleasing to God. We use our dynamite to make a pathway that is easy for those who come after us to follow that leads straight to the Father. It is only in our relationship with God that we discover who we are and how and when to use our dynamite most effectively.

 

Food For Thought

Firm foundation, Adversity and Calamity, Drawing close to God, Humbleness and transparency, Foresight, Wisdom, Understanding and Truth, Joy and Peace.

 

Brother Cheeks examined the book of Job and spoke on chapters 32-36 with an emphasis on Elihu. Elihu was among the men who spoke to Job concerning his situation and was the only one who put things into real perspective. Elihu was the youngest and the last to speak, but spoke with the wisdom of God. He was able to correct the thinking that perhaps God was in error with Job's testing. The food for thought above are themes in our lives that we should reflect on in reference to God; Is your foundation firm; how do you handle calamity and adversity; how closely do you draw to God; are you humble and transparent before God and man; through your humility are you receiving foresight (discernment); have you gained wisdom, understanding, and truth through you relationship with God; and do you have the joy and peace of God in your heart?  Calamity is horrible, but how do you handle it?

Romans 12 Humility When we begin to give ourselves over to God completely, we have freedom and success. When we begin to take us out of the equation, the mission becomes clear and the drive is strongest. The scripture says to present your bodies as living sacrifices. Kirk Franklin has a song with Toby Mack that says in the hook, "living sacrifices move". The statement may be true but a willing sacrifice still stay on the alter to be given up for the purpose. Strength is aquired over time and courage is a process as well, however once the decision is made the focus is not on the sacrifice itself, but the purpose of the sacrifice. Get over yourself. Give yourself not for yourself, but for those whom God has sent you to. Sacrifice takes humility and forces you to look at your motives and thoughts. Take time today to examine your motives and thoughts and remove any that contradict the work of God in you.

 

Rashida Shah- Willingness and Gratitude

Willingness- inclination to do something; consenting attitude; cheerful readiness.

• Willingness originated with Jesus and the father. Jesus' willingness to sacrifice himself for us and the Father's willingness to allow and accept that sacrifice.

• From their willingness grace was born. (See Rom 5:12).

Grace-a given favor or good will; mercy; clemency; a delay or temporary immunity.

• Grace is God's willingness to forgive us and reconcile us to Him.

• Our faith is the access to that grace.

 

We have trouble accepting God's willingness toward us. We know that he is able but doubt that He will or wants to move on our behalf.

 

Gratefulness- a deep appreciation of kindness received; thankful; overwhelming joy and gratitude.

• One reason we might have problems accepting God's willingness toward us is because we forget to be grateful.

• We need to be detailed in our appreciation of God and the things that He does for us-large scale and small.

• If we keep that type of memory check list , we could look back at what God has already done and get and idea of the things He is going or willing to do on our behalf in the future.

• It would be easier to accept God's willingness toward us and not doubt that He will come through for us in any situation.

• 2Peter 3:18

What are you pursuing? A better question might be, are you after anything at all? If you are after things that are beneath you in terms of your ability or strengths or talents, then are they worthy of being called a goal? What you go after tells what value you place on yourself. If what you pursue is easily attainable and doesn't present a challenge or any real effort, then you could be saying that that is all you can do or all that you are worthy of. What are your abilities? What are the things that you are naturally strong at? These are the things that you strengthen and you use these things as a guide for what to pursue. As your strength increases in these areas, so do your skills and the challenge beomes less and less so... you begin again looking at the things that you can do or the things that you want to do that can bring you to the next level and then the next and the next. Don't sale yourself short.

 

Fear is probably the strongest influence in how we build our belief structures. We create a mental atmosphere where we can survive in the midst of what we fear. We don't just fear things that can harm us physically; we also fear the emotional pain that comes from rejection. So we form our reality into something that fits how we can cope, except it is no longer reality. Is a belief structure with an unstable foundation of lies.

 

Do you know who you are? Aside from your name and your family history and your education and occupation, do you really know who you are? Can you say with any level of certainty that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing and that God is pleased with you? Knowing who you are goes beyond what you do and who you came from and speaks to who God has made you to be. Have you ever inquired of God what His purpose is for you, not just what should you do to get what you want from Him or out of life? Do you pray for communication with God or do you pray for blessings only? Do you know God aside from the requests that you make to Him? Is God so real that people what to know the God of (your name here) , or is God such a non-entity that credit for what you do and how you do only goes to you and your efforts?  

When understanding the carnal mind, we can recognize our potential of having perverted belief structures. Having perverted belief structures simply means we believe some things that are lies ad have some unreal expectations. We believe things that do not conform to or agree with realty from God's perspective and His truths. We believe these structures to be the truth and we bind ourselves to them regardless of the consequences. We obligate others to them becasue we believe them to be right and can not see the enemies or the lies in them.

Examine yourself and the beliefs that you hold dear. Do they match up with the truths of God?

Meditate on this small bite for the week.

 To many times we are following our own agenda’s and not what the Lord has for us. Our sight has been blinded by our own desires, deceiving ourselves in trying to obtain something God has not ordained. You are living a lie, trying to present it as truth.

 

Whose side are you on? Is it the Lord’s or your own?

 

Choose this day on who you will serve, because you can not serve man and God, and expect to have the fullness of what God has for you.

 

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NLT)

(11) For I know the plans I have for you, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you,” say the Lord. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes………

 

Well if God knows the plans and that plan is to prosper, give a future and hope, why do you leave God out. The problem is we don’t take the time to seek Him, wait for an answer or lay down our lives. We hold on to something that can’t produce life but only produce death.

 

This keeps us in the dark. See being blind place you in the darkness, where you have no clarity of sight. Your vision has been distorted. Our own lust, clouds our vision and we can’t see what God has in stored for us

 

You don’t have to parish in the dark. God can restore your sight so that you can see God’s vision (the plans he has for you).

 

 

 

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV     Your trip to the grocery store can be in vain if you only get one ingredient at a time and you are trying to prepare a cake. You advance degree in biochemistry can be for naught if you only want to work at the local corner store, sweeping the steps. What is the point of your life, the one that was given to you as a gift, the one with the potential to change this worlds systems, the one that was the direct result of someone else's sacrifice, if you do nothing with it? If you dwell with the ordinary, regular, commonly accepted and plain, what was the point of  Jesus' death? Would such an extra ordinary act be needed for you to live an extremely average life...NO. Mediocrity was not the point of God becoming man to dwell among us. Mediocrity did not allow the Spirit of God to descend in the form of a dove as a sign of the very presense of God. Mediocrity did not cause Christ to endure the most horrid death without trying to get away. Why are we content where we are, never desiring more? Isn't our contentment a slap in the face to the very God we say we serve and live for? If you receive a lung transplant but decide to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, then what was the sacrifice for? LIVE YOUR LIFE ON PURPOSE! DON'T MAKE GOD'S LOVE FOR US SEEM SMALL.

by Pastor J. Walker

 

1 Peter  2: 9-10
    9.
    But you are A CHOSEN
    RACE , A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION,
    A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you
    may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has
    called you out of darkness into His marvelous light) ;
    10.
    for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD ; you
    had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

I am a big fan of Donald Lawrence, and the other day I got excited while
listening to his CD " The Law of Confession, Part 1". There is a song on
the CD that is so profound that most people will probably not even catch
what he is trying to say. So I just want to share a bit of " There is a
King in You"  with you.
t where we are and what we have not
accomplished? We complain about what we don't have, and what we see other
people with, and what we can not do?  Let me tell you,  what you speak into
the atmosphere does matter. I know there are some things that you have been
through and some things that you are still going through but there is a
King in you that can speak to the circumstance and situation and it can
change things.

"I know that life has challenged you, but the King in me, speaks to the
King in you....... There is a King in you ! "

God proclaimed that we are a royal priesthood, in other words we are kings
( heirs to the Promise). If you believe in God and he lives in you then you
have been designed to be a king, and we were given dominion to rule back in
Gen 1: 26-30.  Speak life and life will be produced, speak death and death
will come. What will you speak?

 

On a hot summer day everyone wants something to satisfy their thirst. An ice cream truck, a water ice stand, a fire hydrant, the kitchen faucet, anything to get rid of  the sensation of being parched. We go around asking God for something to satisfy our thirst but we don't remove all the junk we used to try to satisfy our thirst before we came to God. So God pours as much of Himself as we can handle or have room to receive. We then go about our way thinking that we are full of God, but we never really let Him satisfy and saturate us. We need to desire and thirst for Him and want Him to fill ALL OF US, leaving no part untouched. If God is who we want to fill our lives and give us power to live life to the full until it overflows, we must get rid of all the junk we put in us while we were searching for Him. We must make room for God in us. A person who is really thirsty laps water uncontrollably because there is nothing inside him already to hinder the water from coming in. In addition, he  keeps lapping the water even after he is seemingly "full" because his brain was on survival mode and said, " Drink until there is no more!" Get as much as you can of God and even then get more. God continually pours and all we have to do is freely receive.

A Small Bite 

by M. Putman

 

Greetings. Whatever portion of our blessed day that you are reading this information, it is my prayer that you are in good health mentally, spiritually, and physically. If you are not prospering in any of these areas above, please take a moment to gather your thoughts and consult GOD the father. My friends, the quickest way to getting anything done in the world is to trust, lean, and rely on GOD for all of your needs. There is nothing GOD hasn't seen or created that He can't help you with. Help is the key word though, because GOD will not violate your free will. You have a choice.Will you follow GODS will or your own? Please choose the easier way that Christ talks about in Matt. 11:28-30. Choose to meditate on His word day and night, and follow His precepts. Do this and you will see an improvement mentally and spiritually. As for the physical, if you ask GOD for guidance or direction in this area he show you what to eat, drink, and how to exercise. So if you were not prospering in the areas described I trust that you will consider the suggestion and begin to head in the right direction.

 

 

 

In Your Will
(recorded by Men of Standard)

I won't give up
Or give in
I will hold on
'Till the end
I will be steadfast
Unmovable
Always abounding in you
Lord, I am staying in your will.

Being in the will of the Lord is a choice and a choice that you must make daily. You have to affirm what you are believing by the words that come out of your mouth and the actions that are triggered by your thoughts. You giving God lip service is not a commitment and He is not fooled. Only you can say for certain if you are commited to staying in the will of God, but if your words don't match your actions then you have already stated your level of commitment. Being tossed to and fro and swayed by every opinion that comes your way is the mark of an unstable person. Only you can examine your thoughts and motives and only you can commit yourself to something. The question is, what and who are you committed to?