The oil is not enough by V.Toussaint

Yesterday marked the beginning of Advent a time of hope and anticipation. a time of looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, of spending time with family and friends, of much needed rest and relaxation, and a time to reflect. It is also a time to be considerate of others who are less fortunate in our families, circles of influence and in the world. We are also reminded to be watchful of the second coming of Christ. Jesus said  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour"-In the parable of the ten virgins  Five of the women had just enough to get into heaven and the other five were running out and non of them were keeping watch they were asleep. we as Christians are supposed to have our cups running over with oil. We are supposed to have more then enough to be able to share. But a lot of us are selfish Christians who only care about our own salvation and our own problems. We don't even make time to pray for others. The weakest in our churches, families, communities, and in the world need these prayers. The anointing from us needs to trickle down into their lives Psalm 133:1-3. When we do this we go from being Christians to being part of the body of Christ. We are in unity with Christ and his body. Unity brings anointing to heal and deliver the body of Christ. It creates wholeness Eph 4:13. When we are being selfish in our prayers we tend to look at our circumstances a lot and less at Jesus. Seeing him work in our lives is believing. We then tend to waver in our faith. But when our prayers become more aware of others needs and pray for those needs  the anointing begins to flow through us till over flowing and we can make an impact on those weakest around us. During this time we need to be watchful, prayerful, and selfless to have an impact that can make a difference in the body of Christ and will be eternally beneficial. So let's make this time mark the beginning of a more powerful anointing in the body of Christ because of a unified decision to make prayers for those weakest around us. 
Lord Jesus help us to be more sensitive to the needs of others and to be prayerful of all those who are in need in the world spiritually and naturally. Help us to leave our lives in your hands and trust you will care for us. Help us to keep watch and not fall asleep  In Jesus Name Amen.

Hands Held High by V. Toussaint

But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:12.  This passage  was set during a war. Moses said he would pray on the mountain while the people fought. But he became so tired that he could no longer hold his arms up to the lord. As his arms were high in the air the people were winning the fight. When his hands began to fall the people began to fail. So his servants held him up. Moses was the head of that family and in a time of crises he grew weary. As families our positions as head whether you are a husband and the head of your family or a single parent holding it all down on your own in times of crises we all can grow weary. The stone they put under him to sit is the rock. Jesus is our rock he came to give us rest. the servants raising the hands of moses is the church or your family members. When we go through crises we need a support system. when I see my husband going through a hard trial I get into my prayer closet and pray for him more then ever. I encourage him with scripture and affectionate support. If that does not seem to be enough I ask him to please seek counsel. I let him know he is not alone. As a women who was married before and have two children in my previous marriage I can tell you that as a single parent when I grew weary it could get very lonely. But I knew that if on my knees to Jesus I did not find enough comfort I had a whole support system in my church. My leaders, pastors, my sisters in Christ. They helped me pray and gave me encouragement. I always knew I could count on my family in Christ. Now that I have remarried I have taken what I learned to help my husband be the best head of household he can be and when he grows weary I step up to the plate and help him hold the bat and hit the ball out of the park. I make sure we go to church as much as possible and make sure we pray more then ever. I get in the word and I praise God in our circumstances. I carry the load! Jesus carries us and we should carry each other in love and prayerfully fighting the good fight of faith.  This holiday season look to be a support to someone if not at home then in church or extended family and friends. So many people suffer silently during the holidays try to be discerning and find out who may need some extra support this season. Then don't stop there make it part of your Christian walk. Seek to be loving and supportive. My husband is my great support when I grow weary and don't seem to be getting what I need from my daily devotions he sees and steps in to encourage me. I love him dearly for it.  Thank you Jesus that you put in our lives those who can support us in the hardest of times. Thank you that you are the rock of our salvation. That we can find rest in you and in your body when we need to. please continue to support us and bring those who will help us to carry the load In Jesus name Amen.

Drinking alcohol is not a sin Drunkenness is. By V. Toussaint

I have a bone to pick with all those Christians that point a finger at any brother in Christ who they find out has a drink occasionally and says you are sinning. I would love to know where in scripture does it say that you cannot drink alcohol. Do not put an alcoholic beverage to your mouth for it will cause you eternal damnation. I have never seen it. I will tell you what it does say , and you may double check it. I actually want you to. Proverbs 23:20 says  AKJV:  " Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat". ESV:  "Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat," 23:21 AKJV "For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags." 1 Corinthians 6:10 AKJV "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God."  Eph. 5:18 AKJV "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"   Drunk implies excess, not simple consumption. We all know a lot about what excessive alcohol can do in a person's life. We also know that it takes a lot to stop drinking once you become an alcoholic. But what about those who don't over consume and those who like to drink wine at dinner and do not drink till they begin to lose control of their faculties?  Why is it that they get blamed for drunkenness by other Christians? They haven't broken any biblical law, or command, or rule. Jesus drank wine and it was fermented and the fundamental leaders of the day (Pharisees) called him a winebibber. AKJV " The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a drunkard, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.'  Jesus drank wine. I heard one church say he was drinking grape juice. It would obviously be a surprise to them to find out that the  process didn't exist yet to turn wine into grape juice till 1869 By Thomas Bramwell Welch. He discovered  the Pasteurization process to prevent the fermentation  of grape juice. So yes Jesus did drink wine. In the region where he was living the climate was very warm which actually sped up the fermentation process. So if you brought wine made that morning, by noon it would be about the equivalent of a beer today. Look into it. If they accused Jesus of being a drunkard and today any Christian who chooses to enjoy a beer at a barbecue or wine with dinner is being accused of the same, then I would have to say that there are modern day Pharisees among us and to read the scriptures for yourself to see if you are right with God. That being said, if you find that you have a problem with alcohol, then you should refrain from drinking. This is not because drinking in and of itself is wrong but that your self control is an issue that you have to lay before God. If you are unable to drink responsibly, and for a Christian this means to avoid drunkenness, then you should not drink. This applies to all aspects of life. Everything in moderation is a good way to look at this. The focus in your walk should always be your relationship with God, not what people think about you. to read more on this subject checkout these links http://powerofaith.com/drinking.htm
http://www.peele.net/lib/latimes030196.html

Spiritual Food: Kid's Corner

Children are the future of the Church. I have visited many Churches and have noticed a pattern either there is no children's ministry and it is hard to find someone who wants to do the Job. Or there are a few women sold out for the task but not enough and so the load is heavy. Sometimes there is just one children's church leader and she is holding on by a thread because of the load. I have also been to Churches that care more about how the ministry looks to those visiting the church then How well the ministry is teaching the word of God to the kids. They put on all kinds of fun activities and show case the kids to the congregation often. But the kids barely know who Jesus is why he died and what it means to be a good Christian.  I Have been working with kids in the church for going on 15 years and I pray that more people would get involved in this ministry but for the right reasons. The kids will be running our churches and spreading the Gospel of Christ in the future if we 1. realize how vitally important this ministry is 2. Make the teaching of Gods word first priority and 3. love them through the whole process. Other wise we may lose them to the world in the end.  I have seen many kids become very worldly once they are of college age. kids that were in church their whole life. are just not interested in living for Christ. There may be other reasons why that happens but I believe the scripture tells us that if we raise a child in the way that they should go and when they mature they will not depart. The church needs to get more serious about the children's church ministry and be sure that the kids are growing up in the word of God. At the end of the day if your church has no kids ministry and you don't have the time to get involved in one, Be your child's teacher and read a kids bible  and pray with them before bed. get some great resources online for children's church and do them at home with your kids on your time. Be a spiritual parent as well as their biological one the rewards will be endless. Lord I pray that more people in your house would consider doing Children's church and would take that choice very seriously. In Jesus name Amen.
Here is a link to help you decide if you are right for the ministry. http://ministry-to-children.com/7-questions-to-ask-about-your-lesson/

Affirmations by V. Toussaint

Today we are talking about the things we say. In my walk with God I have always heard preachings on what kind of confessions we make out of our mouth has power to create. If I say when I get up first thing in the morning that " I have too many things to do today, it's going to take forever. Man today is going to stink. I want to go back to sleep" I have just created my day and will get exactly what I said I would. But if I say "Wow I have a lot to get done today! Lord Jesus please give me the energy and motivation to work hard and get it all done. May I finish to enjoy the rest of my day and relax till it's time for bed . May my sleep be sweet for tomorrow so I might have a very productive day again. " Then I have set up my day for success. It took me a while to do this in my own life. I got the bad confession part down pretty fast. "Don't say negative things, right got it" But to purposely make good confessions and pray them took some time for me to get down. I read a couple of books that helped me that I recommend to anybody who wants to go from negative to positive confessions or affirmations. The first is "Live your best life now" by Joel Olsteen and "The dynamic laws of prosperity" by Catherine Ponder. Those two books changed my life. My faith has grown so much since I read them and I have experienced many great powerful moves of God in my life because of using what I learned. If you have a problem with negative things constantly coming out of your mouth do what ever you can to change that about your self. You will be happier and I promise you will see God begin to move in your life to create the goodness of your confessions. Remember God created the whole universe by the power of his words. He said "Let there be light and there was" Jesus said " If we say to that mountain be removed and believe it shall be removed." So start moving mountains of negativity out of your way. Lord we thank you that we have the power to create greatness with our tongues. Please, by the leading of your holy spirit teach us to tame our tongues and to confess the positive things we want for our lives. In Jesus name. Amen.

Christian marriage by V. toussaint

Recently I received some news that a couple I know is having marital problems and they are at a breaking point. This came at a time when I happened to be studying the statistics on Christian marriage in the US verses that of the rest of the nation. Shockingly the statistics are about the same. Then I began thinking about some of the high profile Christian marriages that have split up in recent years. Juanita Bynum and Paula White to be more clear. I also began some research on domestic violence in the church and found that the numbers were very high. I was shocked  to find that in this day and age we still have such issues in the church. We are supposed to be transformed and healed. We are supposed to be revealing that to the world so they will want Christ as we do. Yet they must not see much of a difference in us then they see in themselves.  It is sad and makes me wonder about who Christians are trying to transform into? That maybe Christians are saying my sins are forgiven and I am saved and that is the end of it. They are not really seeking to be more holy and sanctified. they are not working out their salvation with fear and trembling. I blame the domestic issues on a doctrine of submission on the part of the wife but not on the part of the Husband. My research showed me that this belief is the common culprit in domestic issues. It is my belief from the scriptures that there is a call for mutual submission to each other in the Christian marriage.Eph. 5:21 Submit to one another in fear of God. I cannot say I blame any women for leaving a potentially dangerous situation. I was in that very same situation once myself and God delivered me from it. The situation to me is poor teachings in our churches and not enough compassion on the side of the church to protect women from violence from the man who is supposed to love them like Christ loves the church and lay down his life for her. Or more importantly, I don't see the Jesus of the bible beating the Church into submission and so we shouldn't see husbands beating their wives into submission in the church. There needs to be mutual love, mutual respect, and mutual submission taught in our churches starting as soon as possible because the problem of divorce is not going to go away without it and the domestic issue will not turn around with the old doctrine of one sided submission still being taught. I pray God deliver every women that is dealing with domestic violence. I pray God speak to the hearts of Christians every where to heal our marriages by teaching the truth about what the word says regarding marriage. And I pray that compassion be on the hearts of the Christians to be willing to start counseling for women in these types of situations and shelters for those seeking refuge.  I pray for much more marriage counselling in churches and for the doctrine of one sided submission to disappear. It is not biblical and it's time we recognize it. Lifting this all up to Jesus, Amen.

citations:

 Study: Christian Divorce rate Identical to National Average By Audrey Barrack/Christian Post reporter

Christianity and domestic violence, Wikipedia

A brand new week.

Hello and God bless you.

This week we are going to concentrate on moving forward in all our endeavors. We will strengthen our spiritual selves through a real effort to seek God's word and follow it to prosperity.  Each and every one of us has to make a conscious decision about how much time we really want to spend with God and going about His business. Regardless of your individual calling, a fair balance must always be struck between your personal life and your ministry. God should be first in your life but your spiritual walk is an individual one that should not be dominated by a feeling of obligation to attend every church service or function.  The bible says that God looks at your heart and if you are feeling guilty about not attending church than maybe you should.

Are you a seeker sensitive Christian?

Most people initially attend a church service because of one or more the following reasons:

1. They were invited by a friend, family member or evangelist.
2. They are searching for a greater sense of meaning in their lives and look to the church as a doorway to the path of spiritual growth.
3. They are curious about " what this is all about"
4. They feel that being part of a church is an important aspect of their sense of community and/ or public image and are looking for a "church home".

In church language we call these people "seekers", because they are looking for something. Sometimes they don't even know what it is that they are looking for yet, but the fact that they have taken that first step by attending service is in and of itself  a sign of their willingness to try something new. We have to give them credit, I mean let's face it, they have come into a strange new environment with strange new customs. Customs like standing, kneeling and praying on command, singing and dancing in public, outward displays of affection and being asked for money on a regular basis.They are also exposed to new terms like "born again", "spirit walk" and "spirit filled" not to mention  people getting " slain in the spirit" and " talking in tongues"( see the book "Christianese" by Pastor Don Moore for more on the language of Christianity).  All of this can be a little overwhelming. In some cases, an improper introduction to Christianity can be all that it takes to turn that seeker away from God for a long time, if not forever.

So where does that leave us?  Well, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the person who our belief system is named after (Christianity), is very clear on certain points :  We are to spread the Gospel(Mark 16:15);  We are not to judge((Matthew 7:1); We are not to place burdens on our brethren(Matthew 23); The world will recognize us by our love for one another.(John 13:34-35) and we are supposed to serve our fellow man.(Matthew 25:31)

These points directly reflect the theme of this post. Our role as Christians should be to bring the knowledge of God to those who do not yet know Him. There is no work that we can do in this world that is more important to God than this. Our role is not to judge what an individual does with that knowledge, nor place a time frame on how long we give them to "get it right" before we judge them.

If a person visits your church and is a drunk, or a prostitute, or a homosexual, or an adulterer etc... do you make them feel welcome? or do you look down on them?  Does your response to them reflect what Jesus would do?  I'm sure many self righteous Christians can find a ton of scriptures to justify their actions when they shun someone, but the truth of the matter is that the spirit of the law is overlooked when the letter of the law is quoted. We believe that as followers of Christ we should implement His teachings in our daily lives by showing kindness and compassion towards others, volunteering to help those less fortunate, donating to charity, and by teaching the love of God through example.

We are on our way!

Thank you for spending this time with us as we talk about issues which affect each and every one of us in our Cristian walk. It doesn't matter if you are a new Christian, have been a part of the body for years, or are just curious about God, I hope that this blog has something for everyone. I would like to take this time to welcome you and hope that this blog helps you achieve a greater level of understanding of your spiritual self. I would also like to take this time to thank the Lord our God for giving me the motivation, dedication and inspiration to start this ministry, and to thank Him in advance for the ability to positively affect so many lives. I know that I am not worthy of this work, but through His grace and infinite mercy, I am made righteous and whole.