Oh That He Would Come Quickly!

By Tyrell L. Samuels


As the earth labors with birth pangs
I will Live in Light of Eternity
The Life of the Christian is characterized by the Run
The Run towards Christ
My life is nothing but running to Him
Running, to escape the death and peril around me
Satan is on my heels
And I can only find my joy in Christ
There are no lasting pleasures here on earth
So I Run! 
I Run to Christ
As if my very life depended on it
If I stop for one mere moment
The cares and worries of this life will consume me
I can't stop
And I must not look back
For the past is filled with death 
And the shadows of the sins which I am now ashamed of. 
Oh that He would come quickly!

Untitled

By Tyrell L. Samuels


So many false wives
I can see the light
remove this clutter
Clear the way 
Open the shutter
See the light
Feel the light
Escape from darkness
Escape from lies
Open the window 
See the skies
See beyond these false wives
See the light
Reveal the dark
The sheep disguise
See the light
See beyond these false wives


the devil's hand has been quite close
many have visited, pretty ghosts
to entertain, my prize be lost
to stay and listen, a horrid host

I saw a glimmer in the temple
I saw a sister straddle the floor
I did not discern it to be evil
a plethora of paramours
poured forth from the glimmer
the light burned out and darkness soared.

Repent repent I thought at once
I turned around to see her dance
once more I thought it couldn't hurt
I buried my face within her dirt
I turned again back to the light
it showed my face, a dirty sight
I feel to my knees broken, surrender
I praised the light, a mighty conqueror

I dropped my arms, and ran to harm
I had turned again to wicked shame
I turned and turned to play this game
I fell and fell down the hole again
I wrapped myself in her vomit
I laughed and decayed in her fiery sauna
I melted in her profane fire
I lost my soul for this desire
I became one with this flame unyielding
I fooled myself, this passion fleeting

Back to light and love I jumped
I screamed for new life and it was granted
He breathed newness in me, I chanted
I praised the God of Abraham and Issac
I cried out like the psalmist in those holy books
I shook, I shook, I shook, I shook
I trembled, I did, I cried out for salvation
I pleaded for propitiation
I am repentant I shrieked and hollered
how could I have praised that which was hollow
At the reach of His hand, the Innocently slain
I touched His fingers and turned again.

my lesson I had not learned yet
growing apostasy I had beget
the icy bitterness of my pride
had caused the eye to crave the bride
that carried my soul into the depths
of hell, forever we're unified.

Lest Mercy should have one more look at me
and I should turn from my sin wholeheartedly.

‎{From here she called
from there she called
come dine with me tonight they said
come give us kisses it is fair
they called and moaned within their lair.

I heard and considered the price
for what good offer they do make
I made my spirit within me shake
how could I refuse this fiery lake
that appeared to be a paradise}

{At last, I must defend my purity
against the harlot enemy

Forsake this weary and barren land
and for the Kingdom forever stand.

For my true Muse is waiting, whom will give delight
forever with my love on her heart I shall write.}

Product of an Illusion

"I've found that the majority of my pain and the most severest of my pains have not come through other's offenses against me, but rather through me believing a lie of some sort. It's my submission to my own delusions that causes depressions and anxieties of all sorts. The most real and true pains that torment everyday are the product of an illusion." T.L.S

The Cost of Following Christ

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.-Proverbs 19:21

Last week, a brother asked me if it was okay to have dreams and goals in this life. It was a fair question to ask. Here's how I responded:

“Brother, so as long as your dreams and goals do not supersede God's will for your life. The cost of following Christ demands that you lay down your life; your own dreams and goals for the ones He will give you once you start following Him. If you have dreams to glorify God and advance His kingdom, then chances are the Lord placed those desires in you. Just examine those goals bro. Do they glorify God, or do they only bring glory to yourself? Do these dreams bring you comfort in this life over radically living for Christ?

Bro I encourage you to read Luke 9:23-24 and meditate on it for a while. Your time on this earth is short, and our life is not our own. How will you spend your time here? Will you live for Christ, or yourself? (23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.)

It's ok to have dreams and goals, just don't get upset when the Lord changes them. Be more eager about seeking God's plan for your life. In the book of Acts, Paul had a desire to go to Rome, and the Lord honored it because it glorified Him. Paul tried to seek the glory of God in all he did.”

Darrell Johnson writes: To deny yourself means to deny your self-lordship. It means saying no to the god who is me, to reject the demands of the god who is me, to refuse to obey the claims of the god who is me. A decisive no “I do not know the Lord Me-I do not bow down to him or her anymore.”

He also said: A man on his way to public crucifixion was compelled to abandon all earthly hopes and ambitions. Jesus calls His followers to think of ourselves as already dead, to bury all our earthly hopes and dreams, to bury the plans and agendas we made for ourselves. He will either resurrect our dreams or replace them with dreams and plans of his own.

Wow! So what does it really mean to deny self? Jesus in the passage in Luke is basically saying the first commandment! Love Me! Worship Me! Turn away from worshiping the idol self. Turn away from the god that is yourself. Cast out your pride. Only know and recognize that there is one God. Deny the lie that there is more than Him. This was a call to sanity, a call to cast down the delusion that you are in control of your own life and worship the one true God.

For this upcoming week meditate on Luke 9:23-24 and let the Lord speak to you.

Finding A Church

1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.


Christ is FOUND, DISPLAYED, and EXALTED all throughout scripture. If your church is teaching morals from the old testament and not preaching Christ, then I firmly would believe that your church is in false doctrine. Many churches today tell their congregation to basically be good but do not preach the supremacy and excellency of Christ. Morals without Christ is BONDAGE! 


Not only bondage, but these particular churches set up their congregation to either esteem their self, or hate God because they cannot be good. We are provoking them to wrath! These pastors gather thousands to their congregation and what do they tell them? Avoid temptation. Not the AMAZING Love of Christ in light of their AWFUL sin nature and it's punishment. Preacher, exalt Christ! Don't just teach your congregation to be "good". THEY CAN'T BE GOOD, THAT'S WHY THEY NEED CHRIST!!! LIFT CHRIST UP, EXALT CHRIST, SET HIM HIGH!!! 


Abraham was a type of Christ, Joseph was, Jonah was, Boaz was, Daniel was, David was...Christ was found everywhere. Gosh, I'm terrified to go out and preach because I know by what measure I give, it will be measured back to me...and yet the measure I give is not my measure but is laid out in scripture...is it not? Isn't this the example that the Apostle Paul laid out himself.


So as you go, examine all things in light of scripture and be very careful not to fall in this trap. May the Lord lead you to a church where He will be exalted not your good works which are simply filthy rags. May the Lord keep you and bless you.

Pressing Forward

By Tyrell L. Samuels

I see a storm approaching

don't know when I'm coming out

This wasn't taught in Sunday School

All signs of life are gone and nonexistent

we enter realms never before visited

All our hopes had turned to dust

and all was left

our unfiltered lusts

Time zones had ceased and gone away

 kaleidoscope colors frenzied my way

and darkness so bright

Had shone the day

Oh that the light of Christ would guide me through

these truest storms that plague my view

Joy is not beyond the farthest fright

so I must steer by faith and blind my sight.

Cry Out To Jesus!

"The greatest obstacle that many face is admitting that their child molestation or their rape is not an excuse to sin. The desire to indulge in fleshly lusts (that can be attributed to past sexual victimization) rather than trusting in Jesus is the evidence that you are guilty too and in danger of hell fire just as everyone else is. We know the way out, but we rather indulge." -Tyrell Lee Samuels
       
If I had known how to kill sin. If only there were a Power strong enough to deliver me. If only there were a God loving and gracious enough to save me from my deleterious self. I know I need Him, I'm just too weak to call out to Him. We were all too weak, but He stepped in and saved us. If there were ever a time to believe in original sin, then the time is now. The truth is, there is a lie going around that floods your ears. It tells you to hate God because you're in the circumstance that you're in. You want to indulge, yet you know there is a way out. You wonder why He allowed it in the first place. The humbling truth is that you are a sinner just as every son of Adam and daughter of Eve is. Everything boils down to the fact that you are a sinner and you NEED Jesus too! That's all that matters, but you don't want to hear that. You want to go in your corner and sin without God bothering you. You might not think it's fair, but you still need Jesus. God could give you up to your own desires but you have the opportunity to be saved. God allows different things to happen to different people in a wicked and evil fallen world. Everyone is a victim of sin, and everyone needs a Savior. Because you're a sinner, and you rather place your desires above obeying God, you deserve HELL, and you will go, if you do not repent of your sin, believe in and make Jesus Christ your Lord. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and He came down to earth to save mankind from their sin. God loves you, and is compassionate towards your situation, that's why He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, if only you would trust in Him. He loves you that's why He died to save you from hell. 


Admit that you to are a sinner and believe in Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. Be saved from this perverse generation. You must press forward and stop returning to the vomit that enslaved you in the first place. Christ came to set you free, and those who are free in Christ are free indeed. Press forward to the glorious hope that you may have in Jesus Christ! It's not so much that you were sinned against and now you sin...it's more that you were born a sinner, and this is how you respond to sin...with more sin. And sin leads to death, but there is life in Christ. Cry aloud to Jesus and ask Him to save you, I say, be saved from this perverse generation.

Are You on the Narrow Path?

Memory Verse: 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.-Matthew 7:13-14

No story today, I want to go back to Matthew 7:13-29. This has to be one of the most important but mistaught passages in all of the gospels. Go with me on a journey if you will. Jesus, one of the greatest teachers of our time has been walking around doing miracles, teaching the jews of His day. His teachings were none like anyone before Him, and yet they carried the same doctrine as the law of the old testament. Most of the people of His time were too blind to see this however. Because of His teachings, miracles, and authority by which He taught, He had worked up quite a following. He was like a modern day celebrity with many people flocking after Him trailing behind whereever He went. Many times He had to lose them so that He could get away with His disciples privately.

Imagine, that you were one of those followers. In fact, if you profess to be a Christian you are one of those followers. You who profess to be a Christian are one who follows Christ. One day, Christ in one of His many great teachings turned to those "following" Him and said “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Why would Jesus say this to a people who were already following Him? It's a deep and poingnant question that sets the basis for this devotional. We need to understand that this passsage isn't directed to the whole world. This passage doesn't give the difference between those who profess to be Christians and those who call themselves athiests, or worshippers of other gods. This passage takes a sword and divides the people who follow Christ. This is not to say that there are some who are saved that will go to heaven and some who are saved who will lose their salvation and be headed for destruction. This simply points out that there are many...many...many people who profess to follow Christ, but are really following their own desires. In verse 15 it's no coincidence that He begins to warn His followers about false teachers. He gives this warning because many false teachers have and will creep into His flock of followers and lead them astray. There are many people today who call themselves Christian and serve in ministry who are not even truly saved. They "follow" Christ but their hearts are far from Him.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’-Matthew 7:21-23

If this is the case, it is no wonder that many that we think are true believers are really headed for destruction. Jesus said that BROAD was that gate...this is broad in the number of those who "follow" Christ. That means that only a small portion of those who follow Christ will truly follow Him into Eternity. Why do I give this warning? Because when I look among you, I see the very thing that Christ was talking about. So " Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith." Many of those who fill our churches, especially the young ones think they're following Christ, but if you examine their fruit as it says in the rest of Chapter 7 you see that they are indeed not of the faith. This has happened because false teachers in sheep's clothing have snuck in and become one with the true followers of Christ. These teachers are among you, they're nice, they're smart, they have results in their churches, they have large congregations and what they say has an appearence of truth but do not be deceived. So examine yourself...are you on the narrow path? Are you finding your Christian walk becoming increasingly difficult? Is it becoming hard to live out this life for Christ? Or are you having fun and chilling? The narrow way is the hard way, but it leads to life...everlasting. Are you on the narrow path? Is it truly Christ you're trusting in, or are you trusting in something else? Is He all you have in this life...or are you building your house on other things of this world? Are you exercising your faith when things seem hopeless, or are you planning out things and securing your own future? Do you live in total dependency on Christ, or have you worked out your life by trusting in man's wisdom. Test yourselves please! Have you been deceived by ministers who tell you that you can serve God in your own way...or are you following scripture? I highly encourage you to read the whole passage of Matthew 7:13-29 and meditate on it. Few will find life because the narrow gate requires you to live totally different from what mainstream Christianity is telling you. You will look like fools for the sake of Christ. Your very obedience to Him will have even those who profess Christ to rebuke you. Again I ask...Are you on the narrow path? The narrow path is the way that leads to Christ and eternal life. The broad way is the way that leads to hell and all those who do not accept Christ as their LORD and SAVIOR will perish by it. Those who perish by it are known by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-19)...they do not glorify God, they sin without conviction, and they do not trust in God for life. This is the truth as is outlined in Scripture...accept it, or reject it.

"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, bring on themselves swift destruction." 2Peter 2:1

This Sweet Death

By Marie-Marthe Samuels

Painfully sweet 

A Core filled with delight 

Death 

With my hands pierced to Your will 

I offer You my spirit 

With Contentment

Elevated

Accusations above my head

Finally, Decapitated 

A sweet death

Sharing in Your sufferings 

From my death to Your glorification

From Your Glorification to my resurrection

Yes 

Forgive them Lord

For they know not what they do

But Rather 

Pierce their hearts 

With conviction

Break their bones

With Your love 

Suffocate them

With the beauty of Forgiveness 

That they may Run

Run this race that I'm running

Offering hope to those falling

Stirring hearts with Your coming

Wow

Weaker than I've ever been

My sins Gushing out like blood

Due to my suffering

Yes

This is Violently and Furiously GOOD!

Every Strike I recieve with Gladness

For the Joy of looking more like You

This pain is so Great

It's sweet taste overwhelms me

Never have I experienced such pleasure

Still waiting for the sky to darken

Still waiting for Your glory to be revealed

But until Then

I’ll hang

Yes

I’ll hang Lord 

Imitating You 

Until my last breath.

Tribulations Part 2

Hey guys, I hope this devotional finds you well. Looking at a lot of statuses, I think this is a little overdue...I know it is for me. Here it goes! Be Blessed and Stay Encouraged through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Devotional:
I knew a girl who was verbally and physically abused daily by her father. We will call her Sarah. Sarah had converted to the faith about 3 years ago and this brought much adversity to her in her home. Her mom and dad did not agree with her faith and Sarah suffered greatly for that. Though she knew that Christ promised persecution for his disciples this fact did not bring her comfort when faced with her various trials. She begged and cried out to the Lord at night for Him to deliver her from the tribulations in her home. She wondered why the Lord had not come for her. Eventually, this made her become bitter towards the Lord. Where was the Lord in all her trials? Didn't God promise never to leave us nor forsake us? Sarah simply needed to shift her perspective.

Two weeks ago we looked at Romans 5:2-5 and looked at the purpose of trials and how they should cause us to focus our eyes on Eternity. This week, we will look at the same passage and see how tribulations actually grow our character in Christ and help us to see two of God's attributes...His faithfulness and His Lordship.

Through our trials, we see God's faithfulness because He sustains us through them. We are never overtaken by the trials the Lord allows in our life. Our patience is produced in trials because we have to wait on the Lord. Though Sarah faced parents who mistreated her because of her faith it was the Lord who had kept her through it all. How come Sarah didn't just end her life? She had reasonable legitimacy to do so. It was the Lord who sustained her. This, my brothers and sisters is God's faithfulness. Other translations of Romans 5:4 say that Patience produces Experience, and experience results in Hope, and that hope does not disappoint. When we come out of a trial, we see that God is faithful. Each trial shows us how faithful God is, and over time we see a plethora of experiences where God was faithful. Our character being grown! Our trials basically show us who God is just as Christ knew who the father was. God's will is that we be conformed to the image of His son. It is God's will that we know Him. These experiences of faithfulness from Him give us hope not only for future trials, but it enables us to trust Him and His promises. We can know that this hope does not disappoint because we have a history of times where God was faithful.

In the book of Luke starting at chapter 9 verse 18 and ending at verse 26. Jesus questions his disciples on who He is. After coming to the conclusion that He is the Christ Jesus begins telling them the cost of becoming a disciple. It is by no coincidence that this passage is laid out in such a way. Jesus had to make sure that his disciples knew who He was before they could be His disciples and go out and do all that He commanded. Any man can give his life for a good cause, but the key here is not in what the cause is, but who Christ is. He is Lord! What's important here is that we know who Christ is. If He is God, and He has promised us an inheritance far greater than any pleasure we could receive on this earth, in a global sense it really does not matter what I face on this earth. In knowing who Christ is, I am willing to give up my life for Him and if I'm willing to give up my life for Him, then I am willing to suffer for Him...in what the Word says is a momentary affliction.

Memory Verse: For I consider that the present sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us.-Romans 5:18

Tribulations Part 1

Hello everyone, Marie-Marthe Rousseau here and I am super excited to bring you guys the devotional for this week! I hope all of you had a fantastic week thus far and I pray that this devotional encourages many of you as you continue to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Devotional:
Where is your hope or where does your hope lie? Is it in this world? In the things of this world? Does the promise of success allure you? Do the pleasures of this world lead you to store up treasures on this earth? Why is it that so many people who profess to be Christian find their hope in this world when the very core of our faith demands that we find our hope not in this life but in the next. C.S. Lewis writes...

“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.-Colossians 3:1-4

In order to hope in the next life and truly live in light of eternity, it's beneficial to change our perspective on how we view trials and tribulations. In order to see this, let's look at Romans 5:2-5.

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We can rejoice in tribulations because we know that they conform us into the image of Christ. Tribulations produce perseverance in us which like fruits of the Spirit must be produced by being placed in situations that warrant that given action. For example, If I ask for patience, the Lord will allow things in my life that require my patience, and so on. The perseverance gives us the character of Christ which in turn gives us hope in the glory of God. (v.2) We must renew our minds in Christ when we face trials. We must look at the cross when we face trials because it is at the cross we see that YES! God does love us. Knowing that God loves us should tell us that God will save us from this hard life. Our hope is in His return, our hope is in the next life. We can rejoice in this hope knowing that it does not disappoint (v.5) It does not disappoint because the Holy Spirit has allowed us to see His love. The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to see what Christ has done for us on the cross. He saved us! This assures His love, and assures us of a future glory and salvation from our sin and this wretched life. We can hope because of His love!

How do we arrive at this hope? We arrive at this hope by allowing tribulations to exercise our perseverance which can only be exercised by submitting to God's will in tribulations. Now submitting to God's will means that you do not fight against what the Lord is trying to bring about through the the trial (character) but surrender to it by striving to do what's most glorifying to the Lord in that circumstance and allowing the Holy Spirit to sustain you. That perseverance then produces character. Persevering through trials produces Christ-like character. Through trials, we become “approved”(James 1:12) or we further reach a place where we have the mindset of Christ. In having the mindset of Christ, we will focus on what Christ focused on which was the kingdom. Christ was all about Eternity and where mankind would spend it. He said repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. In other words, that character will produce in us hope...hope and expectancy of the Kingdom of heaven where these tribulations no longer exist. Tribulations should cause us to hope in the future glory in that Christ will deliver us from this life. Tribulations should cause us to yearn for the Kingdom of Heaven Tribulations should cause us to become detached from this world. Think of a baby who still feeds from her mother's breast. One day that baby has to be weened from the mother's breast and given a bottle or a cup. We must be weened from this world because we were not created for here. The harsh trials of this life should cause us to seek after heaven and ponder on it's mysteries and splendor. Hallelujah!!!

17For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],
18Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.-2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (Amplified Bible)

If this world cannot soothe, because of the extreme adversity we will face in this life, there has to be hope for something greater. This hope is in Christ, who died for the sins of all mankind. Tribulations exist because of the sin that entered the world through Adam. All men fell under the curse of sin, and God utterly hates sin, therefore we deserve God's wrath. That wrath came in the form of physical and spiritual death. But now, through Christ we can have life in Eternity with God in paradise to all those who believe and place their faith in Him.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.-Philippians 1:20

Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18-"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."


Written by Tyrell Lee Samuels and Marie-Marthe Rousseau, given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit!

Expanding with No Limit

Grace and Peace to all of you, it brings me great pleasure to write to you all again. May this be of great encouragement to you!

Memory Verse: John 12:27-“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

Devotional:

Jesus quoted the above verse on what we now call Palm Sunday...about a week before his death on the Cross. If you haven't already figured it out, He was speaking of His death. What a great and laborious trial to come for the King of the Jews, a trial in fact He would not physically survive. However pay close attention to the verse that follows it:

Father, glorify Your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 

The Message Bible reads “Father, put your glory on display.”

When in trials, we shouldn't ask that God deliver us from the trial, but that God will help us not only get through it, but glorify Him in it! If we're rescued every time a troubling situation arises we will never grow in our faith in God. We live to seek His glory, and He is most glorified when our faith abounds in Him. If we do not grow, we'll always carry a wimpy, unstretched, unchallenged, superficial faith. So when the really tough and seemingly impossible situations come we'll crack under the pressure. God wills to use us in all situations. He wants us to function for His glory despite whatever is going on in our life. In fact, He's ready to equip us to do so.

Think about a rubber band, or better yet a balloon. It is wise to stretch it out a few times before you blow it up. That way, when you do blow it, it doesn't automatically pop at the first sign of stress, but instead it will grow larger with that extra endurance. You see, it was exercised beforehand. Our faith, like the balloon needs to be exercised so that we can become all that God has called us to be, endure all that He will allow us to endure, and glorify Him in every trial. But if we do not embrace opportunities to be stretched and tested we'll never reach our potential in Christ. We serve a big God, and we need big faith, so He can do Big things through us! Don't get me wrong, our faith can start small...remember the parable of the mustard seed? (Mark 4:30-32) But it is divinely designed to grow larger! When a trial comes, it's really a wonderful blessing in disguise, because here is the chance to actually put your faith in God to work! Here is your opportunity to really depend on the supernatural Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnibenevolent God! Yes! Get Excited!!! I know American Christianity has conditioned you to only trusting God in the small matters of life, but what about the circumstances that only the Creator of the Universe can bring you through? Don't fret, Be thankful in it! God calls us to be thankful in all circumstances (Ephesians 5:20). Is God not mighty enough to bring you through even “this” whatever “this” may be? Is His arm too short to save? (Isaiah 59:1). For this hour of adversity I have come...for a purpose! So that we would have faith that moves mountains, so that the Father may be glorified in us! So today, open up your perspective, renew your mind in Christ and walk confidently through knowing that God is preparing you for a greater glory...for His glory.

Don't believe me? Ask Jesus!

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” -Luke 22:42

With a gruesome death approaching, Christ sought the glory of the Father. He knew that in order for the Father to be most glorified, He had to die.

Albert Barnes writes “as the salvation of the world depended on it, he felt that it would not be proper to pray to be delivered from it. He came to suffer, and he submitted to it”

Christ reached His fullest potential on the Cross dying for every nasty, wretched, deplorable sin of mankind so that we could have a chance at heaven. Christ submitted to the Father even to death, so today and beyond let's embrace opportunities to be stretched so that God can use us to our fullest potential...to display His glory!


T. L. Samuels

Relentless

By Tyrell L. Samuels

Can you imagine a Love so unyielding, so adamant in it's purpose, never tiring, never fleeting, a fierce love, unflinching, never ending, overcoming all bounds and obstacles, to gain the apple of it's eye, it's very own prize. Yes, it's the love that saved me, it's the hope in this love that gives me new life to live, new breaths of air to breathe, because...

If there is no hope for me
then condemn the baby's chasity

and take this faith we hold to heart

curse it, and break apart

If there is no hope for me
then we all should worry
that life be fleeting soon and come
flames with no cooling serum.

if there is no hope for me
then monstrous should remain the sea
trapping all mankind in it
all our sins infinite.

if there is no hope for me
then we should not all believe
in a sacrifice, holy atonement
take the power from the sacrement

if there is no hope for me
then all the world should rage and be
all that I am and children suffer
for lusts and illicit lovers

if there is no hope for me
then there is no beauty
that ever came down from heaven's bliss
to prevent this unholy kiss

if there is no hope for me
then all saints should forsake liberty
and dispossess their firm defense
and seal their shame with gross offense

if there is no hope for me
then all man is cursed most certainly
and if I got what I deserve
a better god I'd seek to serve

because if there is no hope for me
then rotten grows my heart
and so all the world as sin is sin
should lose hope and break apart

But because there is hope for me
then all should choose Him and not tarry
for what  tragedy can you choose
to make this forgiveness lose?

1Peter1:13-16

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

Brokenness & Breakthrough

My idolatry of the church for the past 3 years has hindered me from really tasting the forgiveness that Christ offers. I've traded the sweetness of His Forgiveness for the acceptance of the church, the Freedom that He offers for the Yoke of ministry that I was not called to for the sake of the Church & to "show" God that I loved Him. Even worse I offered this to my Lord, in total ignorance saying "May this be a sweet smelling aroma to You Lord."

A wounded warrior should not go to battle, that warrior needs to heal/be tended to before jumping out again. In my zeal I ran to battle after having stabbed myself because I was ashamed of my sin. I ran to show Him, I'll do anything for Him while blood continued to flow out... Now that I am broken & He's finally got me in a place where I am still. I am tasting forgiveness and I'm overwhelmed. How could this be? How could my sins just be erased, forgotten, cast as far as east is from the west? The thought of this overwhelms me. It's suffocating.

Have you recently given your life to the Lord? Don't fall into this trap. I beg you don't be consumed with making new friends in the body, getting acceptance and etc... Focus on Jesus.

Take a break from everything, swim in His forgiveness. I know it's a hard thing to swallow that the maker of the universe has forgiven you for the horrible things you have done in your past but it's true. There is only one God, He created heaven and earth and He is Love. He loves us unconditionally.

Be in constant meditation and prayer, talk to your maker. Ask Him to help you understand and to heal you. Don't do as I did and idolize the church and miss out on the sweetness of His love. Don't live for others, He needs to be first. Put Him first. It's your time to heal and to get to know the one who will become the lover of your soul. Slow down and marvel. Be still. Lest you end up on a course that will consist of contant labor to please men, earn their love, seem righteous and etc...

He says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:28-30) 

Sure you might go to heaven but never tasting what true forgiveness is and how overwhelmingly amazing God is. Go, sin no more and focus on Jesus. Put nothing before Him, He loves you. He wants to heal you and began a wonderful Journey with you.

In Christ