Perspective In Him: A Holiday Devotional Series

"This Christmas”

A SPOKEN WORD PRESENTATION

How does that song go?

You know from that Christmas movie

Oh yes, This Christmas

Hang all the mistletoe,

I’m going to get to know you better

This Christmas

As we,

Prepare the meals, let’s prepare for spills.

As we clean the kitchen,

Let’s also clean the closet.

Every skeleton and bone of this family

That’s been buried for years shall have the

Opportunity to heal.

As we,

Say grace, let’s not forget to extend it.

I know your son’s not the man he’s supposed to be.

Flunked out of college, the only Mathematics he

knows is multiplying his seed,

and dividing his time between the ladies.

Paying child support

but there’s no child support.

Now, another child feels rejected and is left

Unprotected.

I know your daughter wears her clothes way too tight

and her choices in men just ain’t right.

One only wants to use, the other only wants to abuse,

and the one she really wants doesn’t even want her.

She’s been living off the system

because she never developed a system

or took advantage of grandmama’s wisdom.

As we,

Pass the peas, cousins can we please

Let bygones be bygones,

That money she borrowed is long gone.

Is $300 bucks worth not extending memory lane together?

Come on y’all,

Think about all the good times y’all used to have.

See y’all used to play dolls together

Do hair together, roll dice together

Shoot hoops together,

and because that was fam you would

Jump through hoops forever.

When did forever end

and that family bond becomes so singed?

Now, go ahead and butter these biscuits

because we need to lighten the mood

and end this family feud.

It was with this ring that you be-wed

and in her bed, you betrayed her trust

because you gave in to passion and lust.

Now, her heart is crushed

because she played the fool but she can’t

help but remember you were her first

crush.

Now, go ahead, get the hot sauce

and pour it on these chitterlings

and if you can’t stand the heat then

Get out the kitchen.

If you can’t stand the smell, just remember

You brought it in when you took us through hell.

Did I forget to mention

How drug addiction

Almost tore this family apart

Or how one sister was treated like royalty

because her skin was high yellow and hair down her back

and the other made to feel like Dark & Lovely was just

a myth.

This Christmas

Will be a very special Christmas

This Christmas

We will see just how good my God can be.

As we,

Gather together

We can see how we made it through all that mess

and the darkest weather.

As we,

Cut in this heavenly ham

Heaven will remind us of how far we’ve come

From scraping at the bottom

and being on food stamps and public assistance

to praising at the top because you got good credit

and money in the bank

Ayo shorty what you think!

See the world may say loving you is wrong

because you are the reason I can’t sleep at night.

Family secrets are reoccurring nightmares

But this Christmas will be a very special Christmas

Because instead of saying grace, We will receive it.

Unto us, a child is born

a son is given

and He is the reason we all are forgiven.

He stands at the door and He knocks

and with a tick and a tock

He will turn back the clock

This Christmas will be a very special Christmas

See the prodigal son will come home because

he’s been gone way too long.

I may not be my brother’s keeper but

I will no longer be his grim reaper.

No more putting his name to shame talking about the dreadful things

he did at night.

We will hug the sisters we haven’t seen for years

and maybe even shed tears.

Uncle John is finally going to get some help

and Aunt Joyce will never feel alone, again.

We will come to visit you at the nursing home and make sure we

right all our wrong.

This Christmas will be a very special Christmas

Because the King is here. It’s time for the best part

Cakes and pies

as far as the eyes can see.

Something for you and something for me

Over a slice of pecan pie, that stuck up Aunt will say Hi

and she will realize

Her money don’t make her any better than

anybody else.

Then,

We will smell something even sweeter than big Mama’s cakes.

It is the sweetest name I know.

Something about that name

Jesus.

Nails in His hands. Nails in His feet

A crown of thorns on His head.

This Christmas

We will see you in all your glory as you restore the family once more.

Mothers won’t feel stressed

Children will feel love

Fathers will feel like they’re enough

Cousins will hug

Brothers won’t fight

Sisters won’t hate

Outside children will be embraced

Wounds will heal

Hearts will forgive

But still.

Ain’t nobody eating Aunt Bessie’s cooking.

We’re still gonna ask ‘Who made the potato salad?!!’

Oh yea

Make sure there’s no raisins in the Macaroni and get the dogs and cats

out the kitchen

Laughter is good for the soul.

This family is now made whole

This Christmas! Will be a very special Christmas!

Minister Courtney Reed

I Can Fly Ministries & Trinity Temple Church, Vicksburg, Ms

Perspective In Him: A Holiday Devotional Series

"ShareThe Gift”

Can you imagine being young, innocent and ready to enter the world as many would use in today's vernacular, "your best life"?  The excitement and anticipation one must feel believing they have the perfect plan to live out their dreams; only to discover that God has a greater plan orchestrated.  A plan which would become the avenue for all to not just live their "best life" but to live life more abundantly. 

Case in point: Mary the mother of Jesus.  Young, engaged and planning a life and future as she awaits her marriage to Joseph.  What a pivotal moment in her life as she is informed of God's decision to include her on a course that would impact all of humanity.   The innocence and virtue God saw in her life as she was chosen to give birth to the King our Savior Jesus Christ.  This wasn't an ordinary birth but an extraordinary one.  A birth that would cause the word to become flesh and dwell among us; a birth that demonstrated healing, forgiveness and love even in the face of adversity.  More importantly, a birth that ushered in the good news, the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

As we embark upon the season in which the world chooses to recognize His birth through gifts and celebrations, as believers, let us be mindful of the gospel and what it signifies to us.  The gospel signifies that Christ came to settle a debt; a debt that was created before any of us were born.  So, for believers, it’s not about a season, but a reason!  God gave the ultimate gift in Jesus Christ! Therefore, as believers, it’s up to us to ensure the reason doesn’t last for a season. It is incumbent upon us to share the gift of Jesus Christ to all who are yet to believe. 

Minister Kathy Hughes

Mt. Carmel Ministries, Vicksburg, Ms

Perspective In Him: A Holiday Devotional Series

"The Message”

Now, platforms are all the rage. Whether it's a social media influencer, politician, or professional athlete, they are all vying to garner our attention with messages that cover an array of topics.  Without a doubt, many of their messages may have been beneficial to our well-being and existence, and others may have provided a wealth of information to help us make informed personal decisions.  Although this may be true, we must admit that their message(s) aren’t consistent, may be exclusive in nature, and are plagued with ulterior motives. 

However, there is a platform that was established at the beginning of time in which we can trust with a message that has consistently remained the same and it is fully inclusive.  More importantly, this message is rooted and grounded in love.

It is the message of Jesus Christ, and how the Father so loved each of us that He sent His only begotten son to this earth.  Isn’t it so wonderful to know that despite our human frailties, the Father so desires to be connected to us and offered an extension of His love through the birth of His son Jesus?  In fact, Luke 4:18 says, he was sent to proclaim the good news, proclaim freedom, and to relieve oppression! 

He sent Jesus with only one proposition, and that is for us to believe in Him.  To believe in Him simply means that we trust Him and in His word.  When we do, we are guaranteed His continual presence, peace, and protection.     

As believers we must understand, regardless to how prevalent other messages may be, there is only one message that will remain relevant.  It is the message of Jesus Christ.  He is the good news and a message that will never disappoint, love in spite of, and will always forgive.  More importantly, it is a message that was established on a platform, God’s word, which is the truth and when all things fade away it will still stand!

Minister Kathy Hughes

Mt. Carmel Ministries, Vicksburg, Ms

Perspective In Him: A Holiday Devotional Series

“A Prepared Table”

Psalm 23:5 (NKJV), "You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies"

This often quoted scripture has been heard throughout the years of a believer's time in the faith. Psalm 23 is the assured presence and provision of the Good Shepherd and His sheep. As we are in the season of preparing tables, I would like to explore the Father's intent in preparing a table for us. Firstly, there must be an admission that a lot of emphasis has always been placed on what God does in front of our enemies, haters, and the like. However, I would like to shift your focus to the point of the Father taking the time to prepare a table for you and in front of you.

The word "before" is a preposition, which is a word that signifies location, relationship, time, direction, position, and the introduction of an object. The preposition before is telling us in which direction to place our attention, in front of us. When we are so busy taking notice of what is happening around us, we lose sight of what God is doing in front of us.

In the midst of our sight, right in front of us, God is preparing a table. This preparation that the Father does is His activity of laying out and arranging His word before us. He is ordering His promises and instructions that would allow us to consume and digest without being so full to the point we are incapable of forward movement. The Father is creating a spread that speaks of who He is and what He desires of you, from you, and with you. He prepares a table before you, but it isn't just for you. It is a table for two. The word prepare does not only mean to lay out, arrange, and order; it also means to join in battle.

It is not God's design to bless you and then leave you. He has plans to sit with you and meet with you. He has plans to strategize with you so that when you leave the table, you leave with step-by-step instructions to take victory; you leave assured that the battle that awaits you is already won. The table of God is not a place of feasting for your own self-gratification and pleasure; it is the spread-out invitation of the Great King and Commander in Chief.

The problem that we have is that for too long we have been taught to prepare a place for God. Through this passage of Scripture alone, along with so many others throughout the Bible, we see that God has prepared a place for us. In this moment, He is doing it right in front of you.

Will you stop the constant movement, the busyness, and gather your displaced focus, and place your attention before you? Will you meet with the King at the spread He has laid out so that you can secure your next place of destiny? Will you take your seat at the prepared table?

Jazmine Cole

New Beginnings Training and Equipping Center, Vicksburg, Ms

Perspective In Him: A Holiday Devotional Series

"Will You Rejoice?”

This time of year, we find ourselves wanting to take stock of all the things we are grateful for. We examine the blessings we have in our health, our families, our jobs, our salvation, and so on. But what happens when the things you should be grateful for are the things you complain about the most? We see it daily in the form of such statements as:

• Man, I don't want to go to work today!

• My husband/wife get on my nerves!

• These children make me sick!

• I'm tired of spending so much money on these bills.

The list can go on.

As believers in the Earth, we are faced daily with frustrations, tiredness, anger, etc. We find ourselves confronted with the choice of gratitude or giving into emotion. It goes without saying that we have heard enough of dying to our emotions, but what happens when your emotions are louder than anything else around you? What happens when the blessings feel like burdens? Is this normal?

The answer is a resounding yes! Not only are these feelings normal, but the Father has already made provisions for this. Let's explore Scripture for an moment. The Apostle Paul admonishes believers in Philippians 4:4 to "rejoice in the Lord always." Always is a constant, unceasing, moment of time. We are to find ourselves taking joy and delighting in God. This is the first step in overcoming the weight of our blessed reality. If any point we rejoice in the good times of our marriage, the success of our children, the promotions of our career, the sales we find in the grocery store, and anywhere else, we remove ourselves from the place of eternal rejoicing. It is in God, where we take our delight knowing that "every good and perfect gift comes from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.." (James 1:17 NKJV)

The next vantage point we have is understanding that we don't have to escape our human emotions in order to be grateful. We have already established that gratitude is a matter of divine posture. However, there are times our human emotions make getting into that divine posture difficult. This difficulty shouldn't be ignored, but it should be addressed, and our Messiah does so in Matthew 26:36-46. We know of the Christ's Garden of Gethsemane experience. We know all too well of his prayer to the Father, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me." It is seen throughout the testimony we have of Jesus Christ, that He served at the pleasure and will of the Father, but in this particular passage of Scripture, we see the Son of Man who is feeling the human weight of the assignment God has given Him. Christ knew that the end result yielded much good in the restoration of mankind back to God and His original intent, yet it was the Messiah who prayed THREE times, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Christ did not escape or hide what He was feeling in His emotions, but it is was in His vulnerability of His human emotion that led to His glorifying of the Father. The latter half of his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

As we move forward in this holiday season, let us not seek to escape our emotions orcover them up. Instead, let us endeavor to be vulnerable before the Lord in prayer about where we truly are in our soul with the assured promise that we have a "High Priest who understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do.." (Hebrews 4:15 NLT). After we present our humanity, may we emerge realigned to the divine posture and position as sons of God who know that all that we have is because of our Good Father, and in Him, and in Him alone, can we rejoice always!

Jazmine Cole

New Beginnings Training and Equipping Center, Vicksburg, Ms

Perspective In Him: A Holiday Devotional Series

The Gift of Gratitude

Psalm 95:2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs and praise


With Christmas fast approaching, there’s always a sense of excitement around this time of year. We become ecstatic about the decorating of our home and even the gift shopping for our loved ones. We can’t wait to come together to laugh and fellowship with each other! But when was the last time we showed a sense of Gratitude and Gratefulness to God?

We sometimes get so caught up in the holiday that we forget the real reason for it. Let us this year take the time out to show true gratitude to God and for Christ who was born on purpose and with a purpose.

Without Him we wouldn’t be possible for the holidays that we celebrate so graciously. Real Gratitude is honoring the one who paves the way for our lives to become a reality.

Let’s take the time this year instead of going through traditional ways of doing things, to come together Praising and Worshipping a True King (Christ) who was born.

This may be the only invite we get to share the real reason for the holiday we look forward to each and every year. So let’s do it with Gratitude and Joy Honoring God for His LOVE for Us and Christ for His obedience to the Father. This is definitely the time of the year where Gratitude should be Exemplified.

Let your Gratitude for the King be known and shown worldwide. ( 2 Corinthians 9:13-15 NIV)

Cedrick Davis

Becoming U Mentoring and Life Coaching

Perspective In Him: A Holiday Devotional Series

The Gift of Hearing

Matthew 11:15 NIV Whoever has ears, let them hear

This is the time of the year that we get so busy planning flights to travel, and prepping to have a feast with our loved ones. We can get so consumed with our own agendas that we neglect to acknowledge though it is a time of Thanksgiving, it’s also a time when God is speaking to Us and to Our Hearts.

Have you gotten so busy (occupied) to the point you can’t hear God speaking to you? Thanksgiving is not only a time to gather, but also a time to have listen ears to what God is saying to you( Matthew 13:13-16)NIV.

Let us not miss the voice of the Holy Spirit in this season, who’s speaking to us on God’s behalf about what He wants us to do in this season. Your Thanksgiving this year can come through being a blessing to someone else or spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to those that haven’t come to know and receive Him ( 2 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV)

Question: Have you Pre•Pared your ears to hear God in this Season?

Cedrick Davis

Becoming U Mentoring and Life Coaching

Biblical Honor: A Forgotten Work!

Biblical Honor is holy and it is a Great Work of those in Jesus Christ! Each of us has the “job” of building up our Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ! This reciprocal honor is the foundation of the peculiar way the Born Again Christian is made, As Jesus is so are we in Earth! (1 John 4:17)

 Jesus Christ, our Lord knew we would need further instructions to Honor each other. Many times, as spiritual ones, we live in these earthy bodies and lose the true sight of who we are! With the foundation that we are the Body of Christ, The Bible gives us an understanding of those we need to specifically bring to our minds to honor as we may not recognize them as we ought to!  

 The Father knows what we need before we ask. He knew that some in the Body of Christ would need greater levels of honor, the building up of others because of the capacity of specific “works” assigned to them in the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of God!

Greater capacity in the Body of Christ does not mean the bring devalue of others, it means God has appointed them to “do” differently and in a greater “depth” for your benefit! Everyone has a part in The Body of Christ and everyone needs to be built consistently and continually, that WE contend for the Faith and we confess until the end of this earthly life, together.

In addition to honoring everyone, The World of God reminds us to specifically recognize, esteem, respect, and value,  mothers and fathers, husbands and wives,  kings, governmental authorities, and godly spiritual leadership! (1 Peter 2:17, 1 Tim 5:17, 1 Thess 5:12-13, Rom 13, Hebrews 13:4, Eph 6:2, Matt 15:4)

 These individuals are ones that become so familiar in our lives with their presence or work, that we may take their value for granted because we have familiar access to them or their gifts. .  They are always at “work” in and for us! Whether ignorantly or because we have not renewed our minds concerning God’s people we don’t recognize the great value of them towards us from the Father!

We forget THEY need to be built too in and by the Body of Christ! Many times because they are at “work” in our lives so much, we can’t see the multitude of their giving and the lifting they provide for us…until it’s gone!

Apostle Paul in the Book of Thessalonians reminds the church to honor “those who”:

 Labor (work) among you                       Lead (work) you                Instruct (work) you

 Those who do this kind of “work” IN THE LORD!

Apostle Paul also exhorts Timothy in his pastoralship to allow “the elders” who direct, and rule in the labor of Word and doctrine, to receive double honor, double respect, and double esteem…as they need it. They need it to be built to build and this honor comes from The Body of Christ!

 Biblical Honor is not restricted to one month for Clergy, “those who” labor in Word and Doctrine, IN THE LORD is ongoing! They are gifts to you and your families. You will never know the cost, the labor, or the sacrifices of their lives because their “yes” was to God not you! You receive from them and you are built by them to run this God-given race!

 As members of the Body of Christ as well, they need to be edified by you! They need your lovingkindness and expressions of your heart that they are fortified for the purposes of their lives. So that their walls, their lives don’t become weary in well doing IN THE LORD.

 October is a month to specifically recognize “those who labor among you” as Clergy. Yes, it is a manmade time frame, but it’s an opportunity to “Recognize” those you may not have “edified” in the Body of Christ as a portion of your “good work” in Christ.

 These are righteous ways Christ has given us in The Word of God to operate, it’s our Making! Honor the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers among you! Those who are building you to grow in Jesus Christ!

 Remember God does the growing, that’s why he set “some” in the Body of Christ that you mature. (Eph 4, 1Cor12:28, 1Cor 3:6) It was never about money or going to heaven, It’s about your confession as One Born Again!

 Honor your Spiritual Leaders; The Father is our Rewarder

 I pray you have been renewed in your mind in the foundations of Biblical Honor. I pray you are transformed and the proof of God’s good and pleasing will in the earth.

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

Biblical Honor: It’s for The Body of Christ!

The Good work of honor is the responsibility of every Born Again Believer at the foundational level of Jesus Christ! If the foundation is faulty everything else concerning HONOR will have cracks in it, and it will be compromised. Is your foundation of  Honor faulty?

Honor is the Action of RESPECT OR HIGHLY ESTEEM of another Because of the VALUE GOD has placed on their life!

As a Born Again Christian, given The Good Work, The Way of Jesus Christ, you are to highly esteem and value another brother or sister in  Christ because God Said So!

 This is crucial for the RENEWED MIND IN JESUS CHRIST! Your thoughts concerning the things of God are not that you rationalize IF it works for you but you replace your thoughts for HIS! (Is55:8-9)

 God tells us to “honor one another” (Rom12:10) AND  to “honor one another above ourselves”. (Rom12:10) The FOUNDATION of HONOR is reciprocal! That means IF you are BORN AGAIN if you are filled with Holy Spirit if you are following Christ if you are expecting the Coming of your Lord in Salvation…then you are to HONOR one another!

 Whether set, anointed, gifted, appointed, elected, or chosen in the Body of Christ, we are to HONOR one another! (Ephesians 4) I am to HONOR you and you to HONOR me! That we BOTH are esteemed, respected, and valued in the life of another, no matter the position of God in The Body of Christ!

 Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, the Exalted King of Kings, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Prophet and Teacher of God…HONORED the Creator through the emptying of Himself for the Will of God. And He honored the world, by thinking of them above Himself and Died on the Cross, that all may be given the gift of Life. Now that’s an example on Honor! 

 THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE! 

In the image and likeness of Him, we are to in our Righteous Life demonstrate this Way of  Honor to another!

The family of God in Jesus Christ is worthy of your love, time, comfort, kind words, smile, help, finances, gifts, mercy, and let go on and on!  Why did Jesus form us to “work” like this?

 It builds us! It’s called EDIFICATION!

 The body of Christ builds each other up through Honoring one another. We build each other up in our Godly morals, in our faith and the faithfulness of God, in the knowledge of God, and the holiness of God in our lives. We need the HONOR of another to be strong and grow! All of us, no matter our position or place in the Body of Christ, we all need to be built.

 There is a reason we are Built to Honor Each Other! Be Renewed in your Mind!

Romans 15:2-3

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it s written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on Me.”

 Let’s Continue to Build and Grow in the Knowledge of Biblical Honor!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

Biblical Honor: It’s a God Thing!

Biblical Honor is a Good Work! Is it yours?

Many wonder what these “good works” are in the Born Again Christian. The Righteous ones in Jesus Christ are made by His sacrifice, but we have also been created a peculiar way to live and live forth until The Day of the Lord. You are formed to operate a specific WAY in your making. Do you know how you are made to work “honor” in Christ? This simply means as you are made and created by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, you are formed by the Word of God to operate a in a Godly way, and this way is very strange to the world. 

• Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

• Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in love, honor one another above yourselves.

One of the righteous ways in the Way of Jesus Christ is HONOR!  Honor has been so mangled in church organizations that many who devoted themselves to God in these environments have come to have a bad taste in their mouths of the very word “honor”. Others who do not have an understanding of biblical honor ignore it all together or only have a worldly concept of thinking. Unfortunately, now as people of the world and those who are the people of God, both have very arrogant, twisted concepts of honor.

Honor is a biblical term that is both a thought and an action. The action of honor is always directly related to your thoughts of one who is respected or highly esteemed. But the thoughts and thinking of respected ones are of your perceptions formed in your own mind! 

The worldly concept of honor is founded on the accolades and preference for governmental authorities, the wealthy, and those who are exalted as ‘greater” or “better” than others by their talents or charisma of themselves.

However, the Born Again Christian has the mind of Christ. Therefore we THINK AND PROCESS, we make decisions based on THE WORD OF GOD! Our thoughts are His thoughts when we apply His wisdom in our lives and it is His Word that proves itself in our lives that the Glory of God is evident to others.

True Biblical Honor for the Born Again Believer is spelled out in The Bible! God tells US to “honor one another above yourselves”! Think and Do toward others because God says they are worth it!

THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE! 

Not because they did it right, no because they made it a good thing for you, not because you have to, but because you are the righteous one of Jesus Christ, we are to HONOR ONE ANOTHER, ABOVE THE HONOR OF OURSELVES! 

To Honor, another one above yourself is NOT to take away or demean yourselves but to:

• Not only look out for your interest, but ALSO for the interest of others (Phil 2:3-4)

• Do for others as you want others to do for you( Luke 6:31, Matt 7:12)

• Love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:39)

• Bear the shortcomings of the weak and not please ourselves(Romans 15:1)

We are to honor, highly esteem, respect, highly value, and protect our brothers and sisters in Christ! This is the Way of Jesus Christ that he demonstrated, he experienced the presence and lack of, He taught and greatly expounded through the lives of His Apostles and their teachings concerning this Godly life in Christ.

Honor is Biblical and Honor is The Way of Christ! And Holy Spirit has made sure in The Bible that WE as Born Again Believers know who we are to honor for His Name Sake!

We are Renewing Our Minds in Honor! The holy Honor that Jesus Christ teaches, not what the world teaches, that WE are the proof of His good and pleasing will on the earth!  

Hebrews 5:4

And no one takes the honor for himself but receives it when he is called by God,

just as Aaron also was.

Join me tomorrow as we continue to examine, Biblical Honor!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

Relationships, Only 3 Count! - Part #5

THE COMMANDS OF GOD ARE TO RELATE! 

Scripture References: Mark 12:29-30, Matthew 12:29-31, Luke 10:25-3, Colossians 1:5, 1Corinthians 12:3, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Revelation 2:4, 1 John 4:9

The Relationships of God in His authoritative commands HAVE NOT CHANGED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. From Genesis to Revelation, God has been and reveals as He speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ, to Love God and our neighbor! 

In just two Commands of the Creator and All Powerful one, He has instructed us as His People to RELATE to ourselves and others, THROUGH the obedience of love unto HIM with every tool He has given us; Our heart, Our mind, Our soul and Our strength!  

It is IN THIS LOVE, true agape Love of God that Born Again Believers walk out salvation living in the image and likeness of Christ, being the visible representation of our invisible Father, who is God! 

IN THIS LOVE, in the likeness of HIM, every gift within you, every talent you may have, ALL that the Holy Spirit empowers in you, must be executed IN LOVE, IN RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER! AND GOD SAID IT! It is the MORE EXCELLENT WAY! 

In the RELATIONSHIP with God, YOU are in RELATIONSIP with His Son and His Spirit! In the RELATIONSHIP with His Son, your LORD, you are RELATIONSHIP with yourself as the begotten of God. It is in this RELATIONSHIP, known by God and knowing Him as Father that you see…you are not alone. 

God created all mankind, “humankind”. When He opens your eyes to “see” humankind in need and you respond in the expression of God through mercy, they become your “neighbor”. 

It is in RELATIONSHIP in Christ that you walk and respond as The Father who has compassion for the ones He created. We, the people of God are to LOVE ANTOHER IRRELGARDLESS OF CURCUMSRTANCES OR BENEFITS to ourselves! We are to love AS God IS and Trust HIM for our keeping and our reward! We are LOVE them that they know God through His demonstration of LOVE to us as believers…the giving of His Son! 

The Church does not like to talk about love! But!! Holy Spirit reveals through The Bible, we have nothing, IF we don’t have LOVE; Our God and His Way. 

Agape Love is a sacrifice of self and the offering of you to HIM daily in every word and deed. You are anointed, in the RELATIONSHIP of Jesus Christ BUT if you leave YOUR FIRST LOVE, what do you have?

RETHINK WHO GOD WHO IS, AND THE LOVE OF GOD THATS IN YOUR VERY LIFE! HE COMMANDS US TO LOVE, IN RELATIONSHIPS! THE IMAGE OF GOD IS LOVE! FOR OUR GOD IS LOVE! 

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

Relationships, Only 3 Count! - Part #4

LOVE IS A PERSON TOO! 

Scripture References: Mark 12:29-30, John 6:44, Revelation 4:11, 1 John 4:8,16, Ephesians 2:-, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Isaiah 14:24

Love is an Action Word. The Father, through and by His Son, Jesus, demonstrated the Greatest Love by Sending His only Begotten Son to save the world! Everyone! I know you think that you are saved because God sent Jesus to JUST save you, but God, Elohim sent Jesus to all humankind He ‘created’, “made” and “formed” by His pleasure and Will. 

You were drawn to hear and received and now in the obedience to One whom you love, you follow Christ in humility and submission as your Lord. Dying to your sacrifice of “self”AND offering your life to HIM in obedience…Love! Agape Love! 

What is so Great about this Great Agape LOVE, is that not only is LOVE an action of God, IT is WHO! GOD IS LOVE! GOD, Creator and Father of us all including Jesus, is LOVE. 

Love is Person and an Action! And THIS is the ONE you are to KNOW.

1 John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God suffers long for you, He is kind to you. God is not envious or jealous of  you because He made you and created you just as His heart desired. God does parade Himself or is puffed up about Himself. He reveals Himself to you, that you lift Him in your heart and the world. God, who is charity, does not seek His own will, but because His own Will, in the very nature of Who He is, seeks you! God is not and cannot be provoked from loving you unconditionally. His justice will always stand against the sins of this world, because of His hatred of Sin. But Sin cannot change His mind in loving you. He sent His Son that you would be saved and sanctified according to His will. God does not think  in evil ways or rejoice in iniquity. He finished that on the Cross! And by His Holy Spirit, He has made a WAY that who He First loved, overcomes. God, the Creator and Father, rejoices in Truth because His power and purpose in you  “Is so” and “It will happen”. 

God Never fails because He is LOVE! He Remains!

Refresh yourself in the Thinking that God demonstrates and manifests HIMSELF to us and through us, THAT we may KNOW HIM! God is serious about you and He has given Christ and His Holy Spirit, that We be serious about HIM. 

It’s Something to be Known by God!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

Relationships, Only 3 Count! - Part #3

Scripture References: Mark 12:29-30, Revelation 4:11, 1 Samuel 15:22, Romans 10:2

The first and foundational RELATIONSHIP that Jesus reminds us of is the RELATIONSHIP OF AND WITH GOD, OUR CREATOR! Our Relationship WITH God is not because He created the mountains, skies, animals, or the nature of this earth you see every day. But our RELATIONSHIP WITH God is because we are OF Him, by His Will we exist!

It is by the Will of the Creator we exist and by His power we are! You are truly the MAKING OF THE EL SHADDI! Adonai, Lord God has made us and tells us HOW to relate to Him that pleases Him. Now in our great life and life abundantly, God speaks to us through His Son, Jesus.

Jesus tells us that our “Daddy”, WHO IS GOD, COMMANDS US LOVE HIM With ALL OUR Heart, Mind, Soul, and OUR strength! Just as the prophet Moses told the Israelites, Jesus tells us. There is a WAY to LOVE, Our Almighty Father! We cannot LOVE God, with misdirected ZEAL, DUTIES, WORKS, OR LABOR absent of our heart, soul, mind, and strength WILLING DESIRING HIM!

GOD IS SAYING WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS SAID…

BE OBEDIENT TO MY VERY VOICE, HEAR AND OBEY, and DESIRE MY WILL ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE! GOD SAYS, HE DESIRES OUR PASSIONS AND DESIRES TO BE TOWARDS HIM, SUBMITTING OUR INTELLECT, MEMORIES AND IMAGINATIONS TO HIS WILL DAILY. THROUGH THE VERY WORD OF HIS VOICE, BRING OUR THINKING UNDER CAPTIVITY THAT OUR VERY MIND, WILL AND EMOTIONS ARE GIVEN TO HIM. GOD SAYS, IT IS IN THE VERY OBEIDENCE OF A CHEERFUL, DESIRING HEAR OF HIM, IS OUR OBEDIENCE…OUR LOVE FOR HIM! WHEN YOU HARKEN TO MY VOICE AND ADHERE TO IT, YOU LOVE HIM!

REFLECT AND ASK YOURSELF TODAY…AM I IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, LOVING HIM ACCOURDING TO HIS COMMANDS OR DO I JUST HAVE ZEALOUS ACTS IN MY LIFE TO LET OTHERS KNOW THAT I KNOW ABOUT HIM?

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

Relationships, Only 3 Count! - Part #2

Scripture References: Revelation 4:11, Genesis 1:7, 1 John 5:3

A RELATIONSHIP is a process or condition that you relate to; you have a bonding link in common with another. The bonding Link itself does not create the RELATIONSHIP but the process of agreement that the LINK exist and your willingness to participate in the commonality that both share!

I bet you never thought of “love” like that!

Whether Brotherly, Affectionate, Romantic, or Family “love”, you share with “the other” and are in agreement and participate in that RELATIONSHIP! Even when you share a negative love or negative bonding link, you can agree to participate in the process of that bonding link and find yourself in a RELATIONSHIP that is no benefit to you.

God The Creator, Elohim relates to all because He is the Creator and the authoritative power of Creation! God created humankind and humankind, whether saved in the Grace of Jesus Christ or not RELATES to GOD by the Breath of HIM that gives LIFE!

Yes, your heart beats, your lungs intake and exhale, and your organs work to maintain your body BUT if the Breath of God does not remain, the very vessel called the human body will cease.

Think about that! Don’t Take for Granted the very Will and Power of GOD that gives you Life each morning you arise! It is only by His Will that you and the world exist!

When you acknowledge God as Creator of you or come into the knowledge of God as Creator, you have now discovered the bonding link of Elohim and humankind.

This is the immeasurable knowledge that you in His creation are more than your birth or this earthly life and now you can have a RELATIONSHIP with God!

A RELATIONSHIP with GOD? What does that look like? It is an ongoing, ever-growing, constant apprehension (attention and understanding) of GOD, serving Him in reverential AWE through obedience as honor and adoration to The One who created you! (READ IT AGAIN!)

In other words, YOU LOVE HIM! And just like you have a desire to be loved and loved in a way that satisfies you…..So does the Creator of ALL! He tells Us HOW to Love HIM that pleases HIM!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

Relationships, Only 3 Count! - Part #1

Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, Revelations 22:3, Psalms 90:1-2, Zechariah 12:1, Isaiah 45, Job 38-42

Rain Rain Go Away! This great song we sang as children was full of fun and joy! Even today, as we partake in another day of soggy shoes, carrying umbrellas, and dealing with wet clothes, honestly we may be singing that song deep under our breath.

In last night’s Bible Study we laid a fundamental foundation to enter into the study of Godly Relationships. This foundation begins and ends with the “Everlasting to Everlasting” God we serve and honor. (Ps 90:1-2)

The Eternal, Forevermore, God who exists outside of time is Elohim, The Creator God! Elohim who is the “One who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of mankind within himself” (Zech 12:1)

What does the Eternal Everlasting do? He Creates!!

We were reminded of the Great Wondrous Creator of all things of Heaven and Earth, even mankind. We were reminded through the Book of Job, that God in His All-Knowing, Omnipresent, and All-Powerful attributes, is the intricate, detailed Maker of all!

We forget not only did He create RAIN, but He created it to function in a miraculous way for the benefit of this earth so that it is maintained and sustained for those He created it for. (Is 45:18)

God designed water to function in so many forms that we take for granted, the every detail of what water is able to do. This is the unseen working of The Creator to create, form, and make! Not even to mention the dinosaurs, and sea creatures! (Read your Bible Job is exciting!)

As I look out at the Rain, I thank God that even though I see inconvenience, wet and a slippery day, God knew that THIS DAY required HIS rain on the earth, right here in Vicksburg, Ms. Down to the very notion of how much and why and we trust Elohim, Our Creator God!

Job 38:28-30 Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? When the waters become hard as stone when the surface of the deep is frozen?

Who are we the questions the Maker of Heaven, Earth, and Us? As Job says, in chapter 42, “I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”

Be Reminded of the Great and Awesome God who is Creator and there is none like Him! He is the designer of this earth, we take for granted each day, but The Father knows What we have need of!

It’s an Intentional Journey….It’s the Godly Life!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

The Perfect Work - Part #8

James 5 Patient until the Coming of Our Lord!

James 5:1-19, Ephesians 1:18, 2 Peter 1:4, Romans 12:1-2, 2Timothy 3:16-17, Zechariah 4:6, Ephesians 2:10, Is 55:8-13, Rev 2:26, Rev 19:11

WHAT A TIME UNDER THE TREE, WE ARE ENLIGHTENED!

We concluded The Book of James and We are Enlightened to know the Hope of our Calling! The Hope of our Calling is The Perfect Work in Us! The Perfect Work of God, in the Life of Jesus Christ that WE BE as We are created….the new creations, born again, people of GOD, in the Earth!

The Work of Perfection begins with the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus who loved us in the darkness of our lives. He loved us unconditionally, which means He loved us to die for us even when He knew on our own we would never appreciate, comprehend or love Him in return.

Jesus did it and He did it all, The Sacrifice, The Faith, The Grace, The Mercy, The Compassion…Just like His Father, Our Father who is The Creator of ALL!

The Perfect Work in Us continues in Jesus that we grow and mature in our divine nature. That the carnal thinking and carnal mindsets are RENEWED in the higher thoughts and ways of Our God. What is carnal thinking? The nature of the human mindset without God or His way, His truth in and of Jesus Christ.

The Perfect Work is to bring us UP in Jesus and His Word that God's “Handy Work” is seen and known in our gifted lives as the children of God!

Jesus has demonstrated and brought the Right Way of thinking and doing, loving and enduring with the expectation and anticipating of the supernatural truth of God’s desire in and through us! The Book of James, as written by Holy Spirit through the Life of Apostle James, REMINDS, REFRESHES us that Jesus has something to say about our worship unto Our Father, in our endurance of this Journey called life, and our interactions with others!

The Father has a “Good Work” in us, and when we know The Good Work and do not do it, WE CHRISTIANS are producing sinful acts and dishonoring the One who begets, loves, and saved us.

The Book of James Instructs, Builds, Edifies Us to be HEARERS AND DOERS OF the Word! To Hear and NOT do…. is sin.…. And we are His Children!

Read the Book of James AGAIN and seek the Father for His thoughts and His ways concerning;

Trials, Temptations, Taming the Tongue, Discernment and Decisions, Treatment of others, The rich and riches, the poor, the Sick, the Suffering, the Cheerful and those wondering from the Truth!

Apostle James makes it clear…Our Father has something to say about all these areas, and what He says is righteous and His holiness. Are you in His will and willing before Him in even these? The question that is asked is, WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? This is the question we must ask ourselves daily, the answer will encourage you or bring The Light to a dark place as one in Jesus Christ.

I pray You seek What the Father is saying to us today, and remember and trust that it is in Jesus Christ, that He hears and will empower you to honor Him, in your seeking! Jesus is Coming Back for those who have conquered and keep His Word until the end.

BE FAITHFUL BECAUSE FAITHFUL AND TRUE IS YOUR LORD!

It’s an Intentional Journey….It’s the Godly Life!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

The Perfect Work - Part #7

James 4 Questions Questions Questions!

James 4:1-17, John 21:15-25, 1 Corinthians 2:14, 1 John 5:3, John 14:15, John 14:21, Ephesians 4:30-5:17, John 15:14-15, Romans 8:7, Romans 16:17, John 8:15,

The purpose of a question is to EVOKE, ENGAGE, and EMPOWER your MIND to ANSWER! What is more important is WHO is asking for an ANSWER! Apostle James asks several questions in James 4 that bring our minds, and thoughts to examine ourselves and the Body of Christ we are ONE with! He brings the very confession of our mouth to confront the submission of our hearts. Encouraging us to ask ourselves, Am I truly a Hearer and Doer of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Glory of Father?

Apostle James from Chapter 1, now in Chapter 4 continues to in practical wisdom expose the ACTIONS and WAYS of Ones in Jesus Christ and the Fruit they bear. “What is your Life?” James asks the people of God. This is not a question of self-examination but a question to define the great meaning; THE ANSWER of your remembrance, your recall, your thoughts of YOUR life…What is it?

IS IT A POSSESSION OF GOD? 1 PETER 2:9

IS IT A TEMPLE OF GOD? 1 CORINTHIANS 3:16

IS IT OWNED BY GOD 1 CORINTHIANS 6:20

IS IT CREATED BY GOD? 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

Of the 5 questions we discussed Under The Tree, The last question demands an answer from within each of us daily. If THIS LIFE, is given to steward as the possession of God, does THIS LIFE honor the Giver of Life?

Each of us must answer these questions daily in spirit and truth! They must be answers that demonstrate with a willing heart the gratitude for the gift of Life in Jesus Christ! Remember it’s not Apostle James asking the questions in scriptures, but the Holy Spirit revealing to us the very voice of God. (2Peter1:21)

Be encouraged today, that God has given us the Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus Christ, that we have the Helper to answer the questions of our lives, but we must give Him all of us that we become all of Him…our minds, our wills, our emotions, to the saving of our very souls.

What is your life? Answer: It’s God!

If that is your truth, Live it in Jesus’ Name!

IT’S AN INTENTIONAL JOURNEY….IT’S THE GODLY LIFE!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

The Perfect Work - Part #6

Your Tongue and Your Wisdom: Are you Peculiar in your trials, treating others, & now…your Tongue and Your thought?

James 3

James 3:1-18, 1 Corinthians 2:13-14, Hebrews 10:38, 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:7, John 16:13, Romans 1:28-32, Deuteronomy14:2, 1 Peter 1:9, Romans 6:13, Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 1:2

The Tongue is an interesting part of the human body! It forms sounds and words by coordinating intricate movements to blend sounds that shape the very air that comes from very lungs. What we hear is the purpose of the tongue to PRODUCE WHAT THE MIND INSTRUCT IT TO SAY! The tongue is a tool of the body to express and reveal the thoughts, decisions, attitudes, and mind of yourself called Wisdom!

Apostle James in chapter 3 dealing with those who call themselves teachers reveals to us as those Born Again, that “we all" stumble in many ways. He goes on to tell us that “IF a man does not stumble in what he SAYS he is a perfect man.” A person who has matured, come to the completeness of Mind, Spirit, and Body in Jesus Christ!

OUR WORDS, SPEECH, OUR CONVERSATIONS CAN MAKE US STUMBLE AWAY FROM THE THINGS AND THOUGHTS OF OUR LORD!

THINK ABOUT THAT! As James tells us, it should not be that way!

We have the responsibility as those who honor Our Lord, and Our Father to use the Tool of our body to produce from our mind, God's Thoughts; the holy wisdom from above.

We have the responsibility to submit to God in humility to the thinking, and consciousness to His Word as revealed in The Bible that we have His Wisdom to function and operate as His righteous spirits in the earth!

You are a STEWARD of GOD’s Words, His Wisdom, and His Way!

Questions to Consider Today!

*What do you Do with the Knowledge of His Word through the Tool of your tongue?

* Are your Thoughts and your Talk PEPCULAR, different from the world?

• Deuteronomy 14:2 includes the verse "For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.(1 Peter 2:9, Titus 2:14)

BEING PECULIAR AS ONE BORN AGAIN IS THE HOLINESS OF GOD SHINING LIGHT UNTO TO HIM!

YOUR TALK SHOWS IT ALL!

It’s an Intentional Journey….It’s the Godly Life!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

The Perfect Work - Part #5

Can “Such” faith save him? That’s the Question we dove deep into The Word of God to Hear What the Father is Saying!

James 1:25, James 2:14-26, James 2, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 6:29, John 9:4, Matthew 11:2, John 10:25, Matt 5:16, Mark 14:6, John 3:19, Acts 7:22, 13:2, John 14:12, Hebrews 11:1-6, Joshua 2:8-12, 1 Peter 1:9, Galatians 5:22-25

What KIND OF FAITH is the Apostle James speaking of in Verse 14? He describes a FAITH that has no “works” of what is known in the heart and mind of someone who “says” they are Born Again.

You have to ask yourself, is this the same FAITH that God gives us to be born (Ephesians 2:8)? Is it even the FAITH that one Born Again lives revealing God from Faith to Faith (Romans 1:17), better yet is this the same FAITH that brings us to the expected end of salvation (1Peter 1:9)????

Apostle James reminds the Believers and Followers and Servants, the BROTHERN of Jesus Christ, that FAITH, given by God through which GRACE travels is A Faith that has Evidence: "Works" of The Perfect Work within each and every WHOSOEVER(John 3:16).

The Perfect Work of God in you is made Perfect, Complete, and Fulfilled by Works OF Faith! Faith is not completed without the RESPONSIVE EVIDENCE of your belief in God and His Word that has MADE you! Faith: the knowledge, truth, and understanding discerned by Holy Spirit to you,(1 Cor 1:24) Concerning Your God, Your Lord, and King that is known in your mind and heart. Faith MUST become Your truth that you produce Who You Are, The Righteousness of God! You Be Holy as I am Holy, Says the Lord! (1Peter 1:16)

Hearers and Doers of The Word are the Perfects Work of God. Hearer and Doers sacrificially give their lives to Christ, just as Christ gave His life for us…That’s why we are called Friends of God! WE Hear and Do in response to the Great Love and Power of God the Father, in His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Faith(Hebrews 11:1) is the beginning Works of God in the Believer, but for it to BE COMPLETED…the Evidence of His Work(of Faith) must be SEEN, DEMONSTRATED, EXECUTED IN YOU, IN THE EARTH! If not, it is not completed therefore it is dead, void in the Believer’s life!

What does it Profit you Brother and Sister in Christ to “Say” and you have no “Works?” Is your Confession of Christ, maturating you, growing you, increasing you, multiply you OR are you dead? Does Christ in you produce the Great Work of Saving Grace in your life, that you BE in the Image and likeness of your Lord of Confession? Questions are Mirrors, look and Don’t Forget! God does mighty exploits through us, but His GREAT WORK is IN US! (John 6:29)

Live out your Faith, completing it with God's works! Not to please man, but that mankind be able to SEE your God and His Great Truth and Way in YOU! Be the Evidence, The Witness, The Living Sacrifice that you ARE the Proof of His Good and Pleasing Will in the Earth (Romans 12:1-2)

RETHINK YOUR WORKS In The LIfe of Jesus!

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries

The Perfect Work - Part #4

James 1:25, James 2:12, Romans 6:23, John 3:33, Galatians 6:2, Romans 8:1-4, Deuteronomy 10:17, Galatians 5:1, 6:2, Matthew 22:38-40, Hebrews 10:16

THE LAW OF LIBERTY! THIS IS YOUR FREEDOM…

The law of liberty is not a set of rules or regulations, rituals, or ceremonies. James, who is Jewish and now Born Again, reminds dispersed Christians they are NOT under the previous Law of “Do Right” and “God will Bless You”.

But NOW! They are under the FREEDOM that Jesus Christ has walked them right IN through faith. Apostle James brings to the forefront of their very thinking that because of THIS FREEDOM, God the Father sustains you, keeps you, matures you, protects you, carries you, empowers you, and blesses you!

In this Freedom given By Jesus Christ IN His life, you are not to forget you are created and made a new creation in Christ when you consider God and His people. What are you to remember?

That IN Jesus Christ you ARE:

The Family of God Romans 8:14

The Possession of God 1 Peter 2:9

The Temple of God 1 Corinthians 3:16

The Glory of God Colossians 1:23

The law of liberty is the fundamental principle (authoritative Word of God) and godly standard (quality) that transcends from the Old Testament into the New Testament because they are God’s Character! His principle is like Him, Righteous and Holy! God measures and judges “GOODNESS” “Righteous” and “HOLY” by Himself!

You are Free to Worship God with all your heart, mind, soul, and your strength, and Trust Him for your keeping because He is YOUR Father IN Jesus Christ!

You are Free to Love your neighbor as yourself (the self, the worthy person Jesus died for) and be dependent on God to supply your every need even when “neighbors” do not in return.

Freedom in the fundamental principles of God is that you are empowered by the Holy Spirit who dwells in you to Freely Serve God in the Life of Jesus Christ! And Blessings Come from God Himself in the obedience of The Way to live like God, reflecting Him in moral actions and deeds of your life.

You don’t have to manipulate God to Bless you! In the life of Jesus Christ given, you have access to every spiritual blessing through obedience! Apostle James tells us to “look into the law of liberty” and “Continue” in it, be “Doers” of it!

What does Jesus teach and demonstrate to us in the Word of God, concerning our reasonable service of Worship?, How to treat people? How to meet the needs of others? How to endure in the sacrifice of self for the “will of God”? Look into The Word, find the answer, Continue in the principles of God in your mind and exercise them in your life…That is what you are Judged by, Your Obedience of Christ’s reflection of God, IN Christ! It’s called Freedom! It’s called Rewards!

James 2:12 (AMP) Speak and act [consistently] as people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty [that moral law that frees obedient Christians from the bondage of sin].

Frances Archer

Terebinth Moreh Ministries