Min Anastasia M Brown-Courtney Delivers the Word...02/20/2011

Kingdom Life Church
125 North Hilton Street
Baltimore MD, 21229
www.thekingdomlife.com

What a Christian

Today's Verse:
James 2:18

I know if God laid down all the stuff that i would have to go through just by naming the name Jesus and becoming a Christian, I am sure most of you would have had second thoughts just like me if I knew half the stuff that would have happen, negatively.

But have you ever asked yourself, what it is being a Christian, I mean truly, what is a Christian?  

These days we see so many advertisements of "your 7 steps to a better you" or How to make things happen in 30 days or less.  These messages come from all over the place, media, TV, Internet, pop-ups or what ever the case maybe, and don't forget for the low, low price of just $19.95.  Wow.  Now hopefully you know as well as I do that this is just all talk, with no real foundation to back it up with.  Just a way to get rich quickly for them. 

In James 2:18, we see a great example of this and the beginning stages of being a Christian.  He writes, " But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds,  and I will show you my faith by what I do."  As a Christian it is very important what we do, moreover then what we say.  "Talk is Cheap"

As we go throughout life, people come in and out of our circle and pay very close attention to what it is we do, more so then what we say, perfect example, your children.  If you have children, you will quickly learn that kids do as they see, not as you say. 

Being a Christian we often find our selves taking the blunt of all task, the actions, and the battles, but I can assure you this, it is worth it.  More Importantly, someone else life may depend on what you do in a given situation.  I can not even count all the times that i have went through something and after dealing with it in my own life, having someone close to me go through the same thing, and therefore was able t pull on me as a resource to help see them through!

"Genuine faith will inevitably produce good deeds"  Jesus called for us to follow him, with him leading the way as the example in our lives, but we can often be guilty of belying this with our actions.  We are all changing and growing in the things of God, some quicker than others, but as you grow, do not forget that you too once had some things to work on in being a Christian, and the bible says in James 5:7-11, be patient with one another, but always know that someone is watching, so why not try your best to get it right!

Peace and Blessings.

"Father God, let us considered 

in your word that the Book of James

be a standard for us on how to be a Christian.

Let us not forget that by your grace we are saved

and being able to reach back to help someone else do the same.

Let us not bely you name and instead 

let the proof of the reality of our faith be seen in our changed lives"

Written by JP Courtney

Your Silence is Louder Than Their Noise

Proverbs 18:21

Matthew 8:23-27;  

             12:37

 

The other day I had a conversation with a coworker of mines.  They were having issues with another coworker and were trying to get some advice on how they should handle it. I told her not to worry about it, the less you speak the more you say. You don't have to defend yourself or try to get your point across; sometimes it is best if you don't say anything at all. 

The Bible says, in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].”  Since life and death is in the tongue, we can speak life or death in a situation which Matthew said it best in 12:37, “For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.” 

When we are mad and angry we don't need to speak anything because death will come out of the anger and frustration and we can’t take it back once it is out there. So the next time you are mad, angry or upset don't speak, let your silence speak for you. Your silence will be much louder than making noise and speaking death over that situation.  Understand this, when Jesus was sleep and the disciples was on the boat and the storm came; "And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping. And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing! And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness). And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, what kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him! (Matthew 8:23-27).” 

Jesus silence should have been louder than the storm but fear set in with the disciples. The storm was so loud that they were afraid. Not once did they take the time to notice that Jesus was still asleep. Don't you think if God is in the boat with you, you don't have to do anything? God is there to calm the storm.  Stop acting out of fear and start acting out of your faith and follow the example that Jesus gave; be still and quite. Let your silence be louder than their storm.

Father God, thank you for your words because your words are more powerful then mines. Thank you Lord that you are able to speak in a soft voice and it sounds like thunder. That when you speak, it is. Thank you for giving us the power of meekness and gentleness so that we don't have to be loud and forcefully but we can be quite and peacefully. In your name Jesus we pray Amen.

Written by A. Courtney

The Love of God...Is it in you?

I Corinthians 13:4-8
I John 3:18

I was having a conversation a few weeks ago with a friend of mines about love, and what he said really blessed me and changed how I looked at love, especially the love I have for my family, unconditional love.

Remember your first childhood crush and telling him or her you love them? Back then, we had no idea what love was, and if you are like me, even now I am still learning today because it is a growing constant. But what was always the follow up question; why do you love me? And guys, I am sure you with me on this, we scramble to try to find the right answer to that question, but truthfully, is there a right answer? Imagine this, what if God had a reason for loving us. What would happen if that reason were to go away. His love for us would be limited by that reason, having conditions placed on it, therefore, if the condition were to change, then so would his love for us.

The Bible says in I Corinthians 13:4-8, 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[a] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

Love is either unconditional or it's not love. You might like someone conditional on their personality or behavior or circumstances. But love accepts no boundaries. So never say 'I love you because', for love has no cause, love comes from God because God is Love.  God has chosen to show us love every day.  Because of the love that he has for us is why we even have his grace and his mercy to be able to continue to love us without the thought of our actions, our disobedience getting in the way of that love.

Each day we have a unique opportunity to share and show the true love of God to everyone we meet, and most of us don't take advantage of that gift.  Today, try to exemplify the Love of God with everyone you encounter today, let them leave your presence, as you leave God's knowing that they matter, that they are loved, that there is more to life and the are appreciated.  We were all created for a reason, why not show the love of God as that reason!

God as we go throughout our day, let us be kind to one another

showing the Love of your son Jesus Christ to all we encounter

Let your presence with us fill them up and cause them to

seek your face, your truth and light,

in Jesus name.  Amen! 

Writen by JP Courtney

Thanks Justin

Unforgiveness...Time to pay the Debt

Matthew 8:21-35

Forgiveness is like settling a debt (Matt 8:21-35). When we don't forgive God don't forgive us. Unforgiveness pushes us farther and farther away from Him. Obedience is a part of being a son or daughter of God. He says forgive and I will meant your broken heart, we say they hurt me to badly. He says revenge is mines, we say I want to get them back myself. He says love your neighbors the way I love you and we say I love them but I don't have to like them. We always have to put our own spin on the word of God to make it work for us. It is what it is, stop trying to make salvation work for you and you need to work for your salvation.

Have you ever felt so far from His presence? You might want to do a personal assessment of what's going on with you. Unforgiveness is more than likely your problem for being disconnected. We give to many things in our lives to much power and unforgiveness is one of them. If we believe that God we serve is greater then any problem, any situation, any issues. Why can't we believe that He can deliver us from unforgivness? Trust in Him and ALL HIS WAYS!!

" It Takes a Little More to Be a Champion"

Philippians 3:14
Job 1:8

I can remember my football coach Tony Lisanti the first time that he told us, that practice makes perfect was not true. The looks on or face as we were all in shock because all our lives, I am sure you heard it just like me, " Practice makes Perfect," and to hear that was incorrect for the first time, through a wrench in the works, that is until he said, " Perfect Practice makes Perfect." As he explained, what good is it if you practice and practice but continue to make the same mistakes, and have the same issues without correcting them and learning from them. You will continue to make the same mistakes. Now on the other hand if you learn from them and continue to grow and stretch to the next level, perfecting you craft then you too can be come close to perfection.

Each day we wake up is another day of practice, another day to get it right, whether it be with our sparring partner, the devil, or with the obstacle course our life coach, God the father has put before us, with the same expected results. You see the devil can only do what God allows him to do to you in your life, in hopes of training you and equipping you for the journey that is ahead.(Job 1:8)

Sometimes it is hard to understand why you go through so much, or for that matter how stuff keeps happening to you when you trying to do all that you know to be right and true. Just like my former coach said you have to keep practicing until you get it right then continue how to do it the right way over and over until it becomes second nature, and that is what God is trying to get you to do! Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the fight is going to be easy, nothing worth your time and effort ever is easy because if it were then you would not appreciate it, but God has a way of getting us into shape and I am no exception to the rule. This past year has been one of if not the most difficult and challenging of my life, and I had some ups and I had some downs, and to me it seem like the downs were way down, but in actuality, God was trying to do a new thing in me. Trying to get me to that next level. And there was several setbacks, but ultimately, to God be the glory.

The speech that was given to us, was following a disappointing 1 win and 9 loss season. A season in which we were expected to be great, but because we did not learn from our mistakes, we kept repeating the same ones all season long. But the season following that speech was my senior year, we finished 7 wins and 3 losses, and as the county champions, why not because we got different players, but because we learned from our mistakes, got better in practice every day until we did not make those mistakes anymore, consider the before season, a scrimmage, practice for the real thing that was waiting for us, not a winning season, but growing us up as individuals.

As you find yourself going after the things of God, you will see the changes in your life, some quicker than others, but just remember you are working towards that one goal, where as the bible says, "I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God through Jesus is calling us up to heaven," and that goal is worth you giving it your best shot, because after all, "it takes a little more, to be a champion."

Be Blessed.

Why do they hate me so...

Matthew 5:14-16
Romans 12:2

I used to be one of the leading Wireless Data Technical Support Specialist for one of if not the leading U.S Telecommunications company. I remember starting off in the customer service department, call center. Working late night shifts, holidays and weekends, but my supervisor at the time saw something different in me, something special.

One day i was walking to the bathroom and I had my Audiovox Thera on my hip; I always maintained a PDA device, for the technology advantage and just because I liked them. Well I came across the CEO of the company and we began to have a conversation about the device and its capabilities. Well the next thing you know, by the time I had gotten back to my desk, he had called my supervisor and they had spoken and they recommended me for advancement into the technical support division. The favor of God!

Situation and favor like this continued throughout my career there until I reached the top in the Technical support department and tried to post out for an outside technician position and was under a different supervisor. My performance was outstanding my quality top notch, but for the life of me I could not get the promotion. Then it was not until I got my new supervisor that I was told that the previous supervisor kept blocking my promotions and opportunities and i immediately questioned God and asked, "Why God, why do they hate me so much. What have I ever done to them.

The answer that i got back changed my way of thinking for ever. It's the blessing of the favor of God on your life. You see, a sinner is going to do what they do no matter what because of the state that they are in, they can easily be used by the enemy to try to stop you in your tracks, but remember, no weapon formed against me shall prosper! So what you have to do is realize that God is God and what he says has to, must come to past for the Bible says that his word can not return unto him void, it must accomplish that which it was sent to do. Because this, God is trying to use you as a light in the world, a beacon on hope for others to see and be attracted to you seeking him.

Being a child of God and living a life upright before him you are going to have some people that can and can not handle it, just remember, either way they are watching you to see how you handle it and if your choice in handling it is a direct reflection of the God you serve.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Peace and Blessings