The Holy One of Israel is our King

“Who is like you among the gods, O LORD— glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders? Exodus 15:11 I Will Exalt You, My God and King We serve a God who brings forth miraculous visitations, astonishing and extravagant wonders! We serve a God who is merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love – so much love, so deeply true and loyal toward us! He is Elohim – Creator. He is El-Shaddai- the all-breasted one. He’s Elyon-the Most-High God. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Not even the highest heavens can contain him! The heavens declare His glory and handiwork! There are truly no words to describe or magnify Him! He is indeed indescribable. There are no words in the English dictionary to articulate how beautiful and glorious He is. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forging iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7 He’s glorious in holiness, He’s awe-inspiring, fearsome, amazing and remarkable. His Almighty power causes all to marvel. He is exalted far above all other gods. No other god or idol can compare to Him. He has no equal. He has no rivalry. Lover and Keeper over our souls. Author and Finisher of our Faith. For what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! How great thou art! How wonderful is your name above all the earth? Who can’t fathom His knowledge, wisdom and understanding? I read this somewhere that I thought was so profound: Our finite minds cannot wrap themselves around His infinite mind and glory. I long for Him deeply. My soul and spirit thirst for you in a dry and thirsty land. My flesh yearns for you alone. As the deer pants for the waters, my soul pants after the living God! I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand’s elsewhere! Praise the LORD YAHSHUA!! He is the King of Glory! Psalm 24:8-9 - Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! What will I give to the LORD [in return] For all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him for His precious blessings?] Psalms 116:12

"A Heap Sees, but a Few Knows”

 

I used to hear older people say, “A heap sees, but a few know.” I didn’t fully understand what it meant then, but I definitely understand it better now. Lately, I’ve been hearing this in my spirit. I haven’t heard anyone say it in a very long time, but there is so much truth to this old saying. It implies that those on the outside looking in have no clue what others are going through. To illustrate, it’s like looking at the exterior of a beautiful, picture-perfect home and not knowing that it could very well be a house of horror. Hence, people will judge, condemn, lie on you, and draw false conclusions about you because they do not know your heart or the entire story, which only God Almighty knows and can judge. One day, I heard a preacher say, “The other half has never been told.” YES indeed! There are many sides to a story, but only the LORD and those involved truly know the TRUE story. If I told the whole truth, people wouldn’t be able to handle or accept it. All of the details will be saved for the big screen. Apparently, things can appear to be one way, but nothing is ever quite like it seems to be. Another saying I used to hear is, “All that glitters is not gold.” People are on the outside looking in: In particular, the Lord has blessed me with His abundant and extravagant joy and peace. People see me laughing through difficult times, grief, challenges, and suffering, but it’s all Him. Amidst my storms, His indwelling Spirit brings me tremendous joy and peace that surpasses all human understanding. All Glory to the MOST-HIGH GOD, the GOD of ISRAEL! I have nothing to do with it; it’s available to everyone, and that’s the beauty of it all. It will cost you something to have this kind of experience. Spending less time on the phone, texting, or social media and spending more time in His presence or studying the Bible is the answer. There is a price that most people are unwilling to pay; however, sacrifices must be made. You can’t do what you want anymore. Certain temptations, things, people, situations, and relationships must be rejected. Your YES to the Lord JESUS will cost you your life and will. Your life is no longer your own. In Luke 14, the Scripture tells us to count the cost. God stated that He would rather you be hot or cold and that if you are lukewarm, He will spit you out of His mouth. “So, because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]” (Revelation 3:16 AMP). “He alone gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and praise for heaviness” (Isaiah 61:3). I don’t know about anybody else, but let me tell you the truth, I can’t face the day, tomorrow, or my future without YAHSHUA Hamashiach (Jesus Christ) of NAZARETH! God has brought me peace amid my storms, as only He can! Alleluia! Even after you have helped, blessed, and showed them the love of Christ, some individuals will despise and dislike you for no reason. This is demonic. However, we know that they hated Jesus and that all He did was save and help others. If you claim to be a Christian yet lack love, I’m sorry to break the news to you; you don’t know the God of the Bible, and you don’t belong to Him. 1 John 4:7-9 - Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.… The other day, I watched a movie about a mother who raised her two sons single-handedly. The father abandoned them, so she had to work two jobs to make ends meet. There were days when she fed her children without herself eating. She would go on different dates, but they would leave once they discovered she was a single mother. There were two scenes where she had a knife and was contemplating suicide, and in another, she was dealing with depression to the point that she couldn’t get out of bed. That could be you or me; in fact, all I could think of was God’s amazing, supernatural, and extravagant grace. I thank God for the promise of the precious gift of the Holy Ghost, our Comforter! I feel like shouting and dancing right now. Later in the movie, one of her sons becomes wealthy and famous. Unfortunately, many individuals will never understand or appreciate the sacrifices made by those who have achieved a certain level of success. They are just interested in the glitz and glamour. To that effect, they are blind to the anguish, suffering, and sacrifices that certain people endure behind closed doors, but God sees everything (Jehovah Roi). For the most part, I am a living witness and can testify that He will always bring restoration, restitution, recompense, and blessings and give us double for our trouble. This is from first-hand experience, not what I heard or read. So, how can someone pass judgment, speak harshly about others, or look down on them? God is watching and listening, and you will be held accountable for your actions. Your deeds will be returned back to you. I suggest you repent and turn away from this foolishness. Be careful. This is not the time for such folly, especially in these trying times we are experiencing. Things can appear one way but be totally different from what you may see. Many people lack discernment and need to pray for it. What is discernment? Discernment is defined as keen perception or judgment; insight; the ability to judge well. Some people might call it the ability to size people up. Many are fooled, tricked, and misled by the outer appearances of individuals with their crooked smiles. These good actors can appear innocent and pitiful with their foul, filthy hearts. They fool many but can’t fool the one, true, living, holy, and righteous GOD who will judge them for their evil ways. If that is you, again, I urge you to repent (ask God for forgiveness and stop your wickedness). Some base their opinions of you on what they have heard others say, yet they don’t know anything about you. They don’t have a relationship with you and don’t even talk to you or try to get to know you. Many have missed out on their blessing because of their preconceived notions about a person. Pray for a keen discernment so that you won’t be fooled! To summarize, don't pass judgment on someone if you don't know the truth about them, their circumstances, or enough facts about their story. That is dumb, ignorant, and messy, and God is displeased with this sort of behavior. This is why some are going through the same mess year after year. Check out this blog that I came across during my research which pretty much sums it all up: Beloved, just know that often times other people’s lives seem to be so much more exciting, so much more joyful, and so much more wonderful than our so-called hum drum lives; but that is not the case. People can see the outside of a situation but only the folk on the inside know what the real deal is. That spouse seems to be so much more loving than your spouse because what is reflected to the world is such a nice, sweet, caring, and tender-hearted person when in reality, that individual may be mean, hateful, uncaring, harsh and evil spirited. The other spouse knows who they really are; the kids know who they really are, and some acquaintances really know them, but you only know what you see. In public, they dote on their loved ones; in public they have the latest gadgets (cars, phones, clothes, etc.); in public they seem like God’s greatest gift. The house is spotless; the yard is manicured; the parties they throw are off the chain; they have the latest hair styles, jewelry, televisions, movies, and the like. The kids are in the most prestigious schools that money can buy. The pets even have their pet care appointments. Oh, how you wish your life was like theirs. Well hold on a minute there, partner! Heap sees; but, few know! Are you certain that what you see is what you want? That house may be a house of horrors. Every day there is an uncovering in the world. People that you would never think had issues are having their issues revealed. Do you really want what you see? On the news you can unmistakably hear the words, “They seemed like such good people – no one would ever suspect them of doing that!” Looking at the life you have and thinking that a mistake has been made is a slap in your own face. You have decided that the decisions that you made were not worthy and the choices you made about loving your spouse was erroneous. If your spouse loves you as you are, you are blessed. If your children adore the very moment you step in their presence, you are blessed. If your house is paid for or your mortgage is being paid and your financial needs are being met, you are blessed. If you have friends and they delight in you and you in them, you are blessed. If you are thinking otherwise, what does that say about you? Stop looking over the fence at someone else’s field. You don’t know what’s really going on! It looks good; it sounds like fun; everything seems to be sparkling; all seems to be well; but watch out “Sin is crouching at the door!” Genesis 4:7 Thinking someone else’s offering or life gift is better - opens the door up for sin. While you are lusting for their life, your life is slipping by. While you are admiring their children, your children are growing up feeling unloved. While you are grieving over someone else’s house, your house is falling apart. It takes work to work a marriage. It takes work to raise a child. It takes work to maintain a household. It takes work and a lot of it. If someone’s life is worthy of emulation, it’s because they put in sweat equity. You had better believe that they are worker bees and they will stand united to protect their investment. Be faithful over a few things and watch God give you authority over much more. If you keep pursuing someone else’s everything, you just may get what you ask for: an abuser, a cheat, an alcoholic, a debtor, a pornographer, a whoremonger, a liar, etc. You will never prosper trying to tear down another person’s life. You won’t get the good; you will get the bad. Remember the scripture, “Reap what you sow?” What has God blessed you with? Peace in your home? Now you want to upset that peace with something else? Has He given you obedient children? Now you expose your children to your greedy spirit and then all hell breaks out in your house. Do you have a job with benefits? Now you want a career where there is a “cut throat” policy in place. They don’t like you and you can’t stand them, but you are getting paid – even though you can’t sleep at night and your hair is falling out. What is this life but a vapor? Lusting after something better (you think) is such a waste of your time when God has already blessed you with greater. Father’s Word says, “You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it.” James 4:2

In Pursuit of God's Glory!

There is a righteous remnant who is seeking more and wants more from God. They are tired of the status quo. This remnant wants to see the signs, wonders, and miracles that the men/women of old saw. They want to experience His presence and the Kavod which is Hebrew for the weight of His glory. The kind of glory that the High Priest would experience when they entered into the Holy of Holies. When the weight of glory filled God’s house, the priests could not stand to minister. No one can stand under this weightiness and heaviness of His glory (2 Chronicles 5:14). As I have studied the lives of different men and women of God during this lifetime, I stand in awe of what many were able to accomplish; people like Smith Wigglesworth, one of his protege, Mother Mary Jenkins, Charles Finney, Evan Roberts (Welch Revival), William Seymour (Azuza Street Revival) and my Pastor John Kilpatrick from the Brownsville Revival, along with many others. These men and women have seen many raised from the dead, strip clubs shut down, people at mental institutions have their minds restored, police officers laid off due to crime rates dropping, and creative miracles where arms, legs, and hands grew where there was none. However, the most important thing is the souls. God’s desire is for none to perish. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:9). Many are praying for an outpouring of His spirit because we know that Jesus is the only answer to the world’s problems today! One day, I was thinking, “Lord, why are we not seeing these kinds of manifestations like these men and women of God?” Although some are experiencing glorious and miraculous manifestations in different areas and spurts. Plus, we are just not hearing much about it. So, the Lord said to me, “It’s still happening.” I’m still moving by my spirit and according to My Word. He’s still working miracles, signs, and wonders. He’s still proving just how great and awesome He is! He took me back to a few outreach events that we implemented where we saw the Lord Jesus show up and change the region. He came into that region and changed the atmosphere. Here are a few instances: After having two Youth Empowerment Outreach (anti-drug, tobacco, alcohol) events in Pomona, California, which was considered a “hotbed” for gang activity, ceased in this area. My spiritual daughter, who used to be a gang member and gave her life to Christ, confirmed this. At these events, we prayed over the community and had gospel singers/rappers and speakers praise and worship God, lifting up the name of Jesus. God showed up, and when He did, things changed for the betterment. All glory to GOD! So, never underestimate your prayers and when you pray in your community. God promised us the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). The effective, sincere, hot fiery prayers of a righteous man/woman avails much! (James 5:16). On another occasion, we went to a really bad, high-crime area where many are afraid to go. A group of us stood on the corner of Mack and Bewick in Detroit, Michigan, and prayed against principalities, powers, rulers, and spiritual wickedness in that area. Some of the people came to us with guns strapped to them requesting prayer. There were also some folks who gave us the side/evil eye. There were some people telling us that we shouldn’t be in that area. My Bible says in 1 John 4:4, “Greater is He that’s within me than He that’s in the world.” I advise you to be Holy Spirit-led. Always let the Lord Jesus lead, guide, direct, and order your steps. He will protect you wherever He sends you. Afterward, I checked the news often to see if any crimes had taken place, and there were no killings or murders reported for months after this outreach. All glory to God! We have prayed for individuals on their death bed and seen them come back to life after the doctor had given up on them. We have seen the sick healed, deliverance of depression and have believed for God to even raise the dead, which we have not seen, but have faith that we will. A young lady I prayed for was taken off of depression medication after being on it for years. I have witnessed healing in my own body. I was healed of a tumor in my stomach. Over a year ago, I couldn’t eat solid foods or certain drinks for 40 days and lost 49 pounds. I thought I would never eat a steak or a beef burger. However, God restored health unto my bones! Once, we encountered a raging storm and after going into prayer and spiritual warfare, we seen the storm/winds stop and so much more. Just this week, we saw a knot on someone's head shrink. We have seen plans of the devil aborted even lives extended through the power of prayer, fasting, praise and worship! Thank you, LORD JESUS! I know some prayers for which we’ve prayed have not happened for some because of their unbelief and disobedience. I have learned that God will not override our individual freewill as well. God is sovereign and will pour out His blessings on the just as well as the unjust. The Bible says that He sits in heaven and does what He pleases (Psalm 113:5). We see in the Bible where Paul had a thorn in his side which was some kind of illness that Jesus didn't remove and we see Jacob walked with a limp. We just don’t know why some are healed and raised up while others are not. Isaiah 55: 8-9 - “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. During the pandemic, the Lord led us to go to downtown Detroit and pray in front of the TCF Arena, where they spent $9 million to build a field hospital with 1,000 beds to treat thousands of COVID-19 patients, but after we went into spiritual warfare and prayed against this, they ended up only treating 39 patients, and it was closed down in a few months. All glory to GOD ALMIGHTY! I'm sure others were praying against this too. Although we have seen spurts of His glory and miracles, like others, I believe we will see an outpouring of His spirit and glory on a larger scale. There is a remnant who is believing that we will see hospitals emptied and people healed, minds restored in mental institutions, the dead raised, people coming out of the morgues, and crime rates dropping in these high-crime areas. The Lord revealed to me a while ago that there are certain things we will not be able to curtail because of sin, wickedness and the people’s rejection, disrespect and dishonor for a Holy, Sovereign and Righteous God. Although, He is long-suffering and full of compassion toward us. He has to judge sin. Let’s keep bombarding heaven and believe by faith that this will happen again in the mighty, awesome, powerful, and miraculous name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He’s well able to do it!! He is a miracle-worker and promise-keeper indeed!!

Obedience is better than Sacrifice

 

Before I start, I want to share a testimony from my cousin. She recounted to me how the Lord had placed it upon her heart to call this young man. Have you ever been in that situation where the Lord gives you specific instructions to do and you're reluctant? You feel tired and don’t want to be bothered. Well, that was exactly how she felt. She was lying down and tired when the Lord spoke to her.  Still, she obeyed and called this young man. Little did she know that this man had a gun and was about to take his life. Because of her obedience to the spirit of the Lord, this young man lives today. She prayed for him, and God intervened supernaturally. Let's give God the glory. Thank you, Lord Jesus. You didn't have to do this, but you did. We're just so grateful, Alleluia. God deserves all the praise, honor and the glory!  I thank God for my cousin’s act of obedience. I’m so happy that she didn’t ignore or act like she didn't hear the spirit of the Lord speaking to her. 

And that is what brings me to my topic again; Obedience is better than Sacrifice. Let's look at two scriptures about obedience. The book of Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” How many of you all want the good of the land? Another version says, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land” (Isaiah 1:19 NASB). Alleluia, Jesus. I will take that promise.  I strive to be obedient.

I recall the story of how King Saul disobeyed God by not killing Agag, the Amalekite king, and saved sheep and cattle for a sacrifice. Here we see the Prophet Samuel cautioning Saul about his disobedience in the book of 1 Samuel 15:22. “But Samuel replied, 'does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?' To obey is better than Sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 

God didn't want his sacrifices (animal sacrifices). God wanted Saul's obedience and submission to Him. That's just so powerful. Yet, Saul disobeyed and did otherwise, which cost him to be dethroned as King.  

I think about how many blessings some people miss because they just refuse to be obedient to what God is telling them to do, His instructions, laws and commands and then they ask the question, “Why am I not receiving certain rewards and blessings.” Sometimes we need to take self-inventory and reflect on the questions, “Am I doing what God asked me to do?” “Am I obedient to His will,” “Am I obedient to what He told me to do, whatever that might be.” If you have been disobedient, ask God to show you in what area you've been disobedient and help you do better and do what is right in His eyesight.  

I'll share a testimonial of a personal experience with a young lady. It was a while ago, just as my cousin, I was laying down resting my nerves and burned-out with people.  The Lord laid it upon my heart to call this young lady friend of mine, and I said, “Oh Lord, I'm so tired, I don't feel like talking on the phone.” How many of you all know that if we really love the Lord, we want to obey and please Him.  We want to do what He tells us to do. So, I made the phone call and told her what the Lord placed upon my heart... And the next day, she called me, saying, “You need to know that I held a hand full of prescription pills when you called me, and I was about to commit suicide. After you gave me that word from the Lord, that was what stopped me; I was ready to die.” Hearing this, I just said, “Thank you, Jesus.”  I began giving God the glory for saving her life. People are suffering; you just never know what they are going through. When God tells you or lays upon your heart to do something, do it. You never know which life you might be saving. It might be life-saving. 

I give God glory and praise for an ear to hear and obey His voice. This is not about us. Supposed I would have disobeyed and my cousin as well, things would have turned out tragically for these two precious souls of God. 

I thank God for those who are obedient and endeavor to be obedient. But some of you need to step up your game, obey God, do what He says that all might go well with you and that you might receive the blessings that He has for you. Deuteronomy 28 talks about the blessings of being obedient to His words, instructions and commands.  You can read that when you get the chance. The Bible passage also talks about the curses when you disobey His commands. This is the Word of God, not mine; Obedience is better than Sacrifice. If we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. He doesn't delight in our sacrifices as much as obeying the Him. Alleluia!

Help us to obey You, God; help us do what You tell us to do. We need Your help. “He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in the time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

May God bless you and be with you and your family!