Tag: Strong

Deeply Rooted

Ephesians 3

When God created the world, He planted a great variety of trees, plants, and flowers all over the earth. Many tress and other types of flora are good for food, and offer a variety of other beneficial uses, but the most important part of any tree or plant is, it’s roots. According to easytogrowbulbs.com, the roots of a plant have several important functions. The roots anchor the plant in place, resisting the forces of wind and running water or mud flow. The root system takes in oxygen, water and nutrients from the soil, to move them up through the plant to the stems, leaves and blooms.  Roots often store the energies created by the plant through photosynthesis, to make them available to the plant as it is needed. Plant roots also stimulate and support microorganisms in the soil that benefit plant life.

Roots are vital to the survival and overall wellbeing of plant life, but what the roots are planted in, is the major benefactor in what it can bring forth. Jesus spoke a parable in Matthew 13 that reads, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”

When roots are planted in good ground, the probability of the tree bringing forth fruit is extremely high, but when tress are planted in unfavorable areas, they’ll bring forth little to no increase. When those who claim to be sons and daughters of God have their hearts rooted and grounded in love, they’ll undoubtedly bring forth much fruit for the kingdom of God. But, to those who have set their affections on things below, including money, power, wealth, careers, cars, or celebrity, they’ll never be fit for God’s kingdom. Although many aren’t rooted in God’s love, they have been blessed with limited time to get their hearts right with the Father. Are you deeply rooted in love, or are you planted in unfavorable, and unprofitable ground?

Against All Odds, Be Bold!

Acts 4:23-31

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an exciting episode of, “Against All Odds, Be Bold!” Starring, Peter, John, the Crippled Beggar, and the Priests and Sadduces. I’m your host, “holyell”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

(Crippled Beggar sits outside the gate called Beautiful, asking for alms)

Crippled Beggar: Pardon me madam, but can you spare a little change… excuse me sir, I am in need, can you… sigh…

(Men pass by the crippled beggar, ignoring his cries for help, but Peter and John now approach)

Crippled Beggar: Excuse me kind sirs, but please, can you help me with a little something… to get food. I don’t ask for much, but please…I am in desperate need.

Peter: Look at us.

(The crippled beggar fastening his eyes on them, expecting to finally receive alms)

Peter: Unfortunately, I don’t have any change to spare, but what I do have, I’ll give to you without hesitation.

(The crippled beggar looks with a gaze of confusion)

Peter: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

(Peter reaches to grab the man’s hand, and pulls him up. Immediately, his feet and ankle bones received strength. He jumps up and follows them into the temple, praising God.)

*This miraculous act caught the attention of nearly 5,000 men, many of which knew the man had been lame since birth. Peter wisely took advantage of the opportunity, to preach the Gospel.

Peter: Why do you men look so amazed, as if we did this of our own power? This man was healed by faith in the name of Jesus, who you all delivered up to Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But, your ignorance was all a part of God’s divine plan for man’s redemption.

(While he continued to preach, the priests, captain of the temple, and Sadducees came in to see what was going on.)

Priests and Sadducees: Alright, enough of this, bind these men, and take them in hold! It’s already late, so keep them there until tomorrow.

(The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they were no doubt more disturbed of all those who weren’t in favor of the disciples’ message.)

*No matter how hard the enemy tries to hinder the Gospel, it is still powerful enough to change lives. Many of the 5,000 men who heard Peter’s words, believed in them. All your labor in the works of the Lord, are not in vain. When men attempt to silence you for doing good, keep going… don’t stop… don’t give up.

High Priest Committee: “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?”

Peter: (being filled with the Holy Ghost) “…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom he crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”

*Sometimes, a Christian can be intimidated when evil men come together against them, but despite the number of those opposed to your beliefs, trust that God alone is powerful enough to outnumber, and overcome any group of wicked men who desire to hurt or harm your bold faith in God.

(“And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”)

High Priest Committee: Give us a moment to talk things over. (Whispering among themselves) What should we do to these men? It’s obvious that a miracle has taken place, and everyone has witnessed it, and we cannot deny it. Let’s threaten them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, so the people won’t be convinced to believe in Him.

High Priest Committee: Hey, you men come over here. Listen, it’s cool what you guys did for the lame man and all, but we command you not to speak at all, or teach in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John: Whether you think our action was right or wrong, that’s on you guys, but we can only speak the things which we have seen and heard.

*Peter and John would not bend, no matter how much pressure was applied to them by the high priests.

(“So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.”)

(After being released, Peter and John returned to their own company of believers, and shared their experience. They then prayed so intense, that the place they inhabited was shaken, and all were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness.)

*There will be moments in our lives when we be afraid to share our faith in God, because people will make us uncomfortable and try to stop us. But like Peter and John, we must maintain our zeal for the Lord, and boldly confess Jesus before men, and He will confess us before the Father.

This concludes the exciting episode of, “Against All Odds, Be Bold”! Thanks for tuning in.

Vain Labor

1 Thessalonians 3:1-6

Hard labor was one of the direct punishments rendered to man, after falling to sin, in the Garden of Eden. It’s because of Adam, all men must work to earn a living, and maintain a balanced supply of necessary resources for themselves, and their family for survival. Working isn’t inherently evil, but things were a lot easier before sin interrupted the flow of things in the earth.

Today, men and women work tirelessly, to earn a steady income, so they their lifestyles can be maintained. While some work hard, and use their earnings to take care of necessities, there are those who invest countless hours of labor, only to spoil their goods on frivolous things. If all the money that was wasted on drugs, alcohol, strip clubs, and all other ungodly things was redistributed to help those in need, this world would be in much better shape than it is today.

Those who appreciate the time and effort they invest in working, tend to have a great appreciation for their wages, so that only what’s necessary, is what they perfer to spend their money on. It’s a very bad feeling to know that the money you worked so hard to gain, was wasted on things that have no value or relevance. The apostle Paul shared similar sentiments, when he showed great concern for the Thessalonian church. While visiting them on one of his journeys, he informed the church of his inevitable suffering and persecution. While they may have heard Paul’s words, they were probably uncertain of how those things would actually manifest. In any case, Paul’s prophetic words were manifested indeed, so much until he was unable to return to the church at Thessalonica, to check whether or not “the tempter have tempted you, and our labor be in vain” (vs. 5b).

Paul wanted to be assured that the people he had ministered to were still strong in their faith, even during his absence. This is also similar to a parent, who invests years of hard labor, raising and caring for their children. They expect for their children to be obedient, and abide by the words they teach, but that’s not always the case. Thankfully, Paul received word from Timothy, the Thessalonian church was indeed standing strong in godliness. Also, their faith and love for God was still held in high regard, and they had “good remembrance” of the men of God always. Paul’s heart was pleased to know that his labor in preaching the Gospel was not in vain.

In our lives today, we may not see the fruit of our labor instantly, but with prayer, fasting, and patience, many of those whom we introduced the message of the Gospel to, will flourish, and begin to have an impact in the kingdom of God soon enough.

“We live this life for purpose and reason, but not too long, for only a season.” – Ell

A Moment With The King

Matthew 24:3-14

If you could spend a day with Christ, what questions would you ask Him? Would your concerns cater more to events from your past, present, or future? Would you want to know the answers to why certain things happened in your life, that no one could explain, or would you prefer to know how your life would eventually end up? If I could ask Jesus anything, I’d first question His unyielding love for a people, who continually dishonor His name. I would also want to learn the full extent of the love He has for all men. I would then ask Him for advice, on how to remain strong in difficult times, as He once experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. Being in the presence of Christ, would cause my mind to be filled with a multitude of thoughts, questions, and concerns, but I would probably just enjoy being near Him, until my day in His presence was over.

The disciples of Jesus, were always at liberty to bring to Him, any and all concerns they had. One day, as the Son of God sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him secretly, with a matter they didn’t wish to share with others. The disciples were concerned about the words Jesus had previously spoken in reference to the eventual destruction of Jerusalem. These men also sought clarity on the signs of Jesus’s second coming, as well as the end of the world. These were actually legit concerns that Jesus didn’t hesitate to respond to.

As His disciples, Jesus always made sure to make things clear for them, even when they didn’t fully believe, nor understand His words. Jesus explained, the beginning of sorrows will be made known during the time of great deception; when many shall come in His name, and deceive many saying, “I am Christ”. In addition to great deception, the world will experience wars, rumours of wars, nations rising against one another, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. If the disciples thought those signs were hard pills to swallow, Jesus was just getting started. Not only would the world experience deception and earthly devastation, but the disciples themselves, would face harsh persecution, and even death, for Christ’s name sake. But, in the midst of all this sorrow, they are commanded to continue preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God, to all the world.

I’m not sure whether or not the disciples were motivated to preach while walking down from the mount of Olives that day, but Jesus’ words were nothing but truth, and some have already been manifested to this day. In the year 2020, many have claimed to be messengers of God, while deceiving hundreds and even thousands into believing their wicked doctrines. Also, the earth has experienced all types of famines, earthquakes, viruses and diseases, and all other types of devastation.

We are truly experiencing the prophetic end-times, and like the disciples, we too must strive to spread the Gospel of God, to all nations. Whether we are scheduled to face persecution, affliction, or even death, the duty of all believers is to endure unto the end. Only through perseverance, can the race be won, and all who wait on the Lord, will be saved.

Why does the living man complain?

Ell

The Trials Of Faith

Job 42:10-17

When you suffer in life, do you automatically think it’s the direct result of some hidden act of sin you’ve possibly committed? Although sin does allow for bad things to happen to the believer, there are also moments when God will schedule a season of suffering for His children, as a means of testing the level of faith they have in Him. Serving God is a beautiful thing, but when our hearts are fixed on fulfilling His purpose in the earth, we are sure to ruffle the feathers of those who oppose righteous living.

Job experienced God’s scheduled season of suffering first-hand, yet proved to God, his confused wife, and misguided friends, that no matter what comes against him, nothing has the power or ability to turn him away from the Father. Through all the terrible things Job experienced, including the death of his ten children, losing all his famed wealth, and being stricken with a physical illness seemingly beyond healing, not once did this man sin against God.

One of the iconic verses in the book of Job is, “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (42:10). How often do we cry, moan, and complain to everyone, during hard times, when God only wants to prove to satan, that our faith in Him will remain strong, despite spiritual and physical attacks. Regardless of the occasional hardships we are certain to encounter, we must not forget, we are still beyond blessed! God loads us daily with benefits including, life, health, and the freedom to read and study His Word. When bad things happen, rather than get worked up and full of worry, see your situation as an opportunity to show the enemy his efforts to turn you away from God, will be futile. And, when you stand in the midst of your attacks, while praying for those who misjudge your faith, God will turn your situation around, then bless you with more faith, strength, peace, joy, and love than you had before. Stay blessed Saints.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Suffering leads to endurance, character, hope

Romans 5:1-5

According to sempervirens.org, local coast redwood trees can grow to 300 feet or more, compared to the tallest pine tree at 268 feet, or the tallest tanoak at 162 feet. Redwoods create the strength to withstand powerful winds and floods by extending their roots more than 50 feet from the trunk, and living in groves where their roots can intertwine. Redwoods live so long, and are treasured for building, because they are extremely resistant to insects, fire and rot. A redwood’s bark can be one foot thick, and it contains tannin which protects the tree from fire, insects, fungus and diseases.

While the great redwood trees are strong, massive in height, and can withstand severe weather and other extreme conditions, they first had to overcome being a seed, buried in the dirt, before they could exhibit all their desirable attributes. Many today wonder why God allows them to suffer, but certain situations are scheduled in our lives so that we can develop, and grow stronger from every trial or circumstance we face. Even in moments when it seems as if we’ve been buried in the dirt by our suffering, God works on us, in our suffering, so that we can mature in our spiritual endurance, character, and hope of His glory. Similar to the redwood tree that grew tall and firm out of the dirt, we too can be elevated from our negative circumstances, and allow God’s glory to shine through our lives. The problem most Christians have is, they complain whenever hard times come. Instead of complaining, believers should embrace their unfavorable moments, the same way an athlete embraces vigorous training, because the more they endure, the stronger they become.

The more rooted we become in Christ, the stronger our foundation will be; thus positioning us to be able to withstand all the trials and tribulations life may throw at us. As you go through seasons of suffering, rejoice in them, knowing that if God allowed it to happen, there’s a reason for it, and you’ll benefit greatly, if you endure till the end.

Walk in love,

Ell