Philippians 2:12-13 states: Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
The first time that I was introduced to this passage of scripture was when I joined Shiloh COGIC. When the doors of the church were opened and I went to the front of the church, my then Pastor, the late Carl E. Hines, Jr., shook my hand and welcomed me to the church. He also stated, “Now you have to work out your own soul’s salvation, with fear and trembling.”
So what does it really mean to work out your own salvation? As I have read and mediated on this scripture for the past couple weeks, I believe that Paul, at this time, was imprisoned in Rome. He wasn’t able to visit the Philippians, but he wanted them to remember what he had taught them as he stated, “not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.”
The same thing goes for us. Are we working out our Own salvation with fear and trembling? We are so quick to judge others that we put on pedestals when their lives do not live up to the image that they portray. We are so quick to blame others even when We ourselves stumble and fall along the way. But Philippians says that We have to work out our own salvation. I can’t work out your salvation and you can’t work out mine.
If God is truly transforming us then we should be doing his good pleasure. God salvaged us (our lives) to do His work. We really shouldn’t need someone standing over our shoulder’s and telling us to step here and step there. See Paul was telling the Philippians that even though he wasn’t there to answer their questions and to lovingly guide them, it was now time for them to put to work their Faith. If they truly believed what they had been taught, they would start living it. Working out their own salvation using wisdom, prayer, and fasting if necessary.
If God is really working in us and transforming us, we should be able to shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15). But instead we hurt people because we are hurt, or we devise plots for them to fall into pits because God doesn’t move and reveal their sins to our likings. Just like Jonah, we don’t want to proclaim the message of salvation and the message of repentance, because someone just might heed to the call of God and then how can we hold anything against them? But look at how God loves us in spite of. He just wants us to focus on Him.
So, let’s not lose sight of God. When we have issues or see things that bother us or we can’t get with in our various churches, lets fall on our faces in prayer. Ask God to give us revelation or to just deal with the problems; 2 Chronicles 7:14 does say that, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” We aren’t trying to get to heaven on our own are we? I want to be able to rejoice with the saints in this life and in heaven. We need to put blinders on and follow Christ. Be obedient to what His word says and let God guide our ways.
How are we doing kingdom work when we don’t even love our “Christian” brothers and sisters? They come in our churches and hear our conversation about what sister so-and-so is doing. They don’t hear us pray for anyone, but they hear us judge everyone. We can’t help anyone if we don’t deal with our own flaws and imperfections. We are all diamonds in the rough, and diamonds have to be cut to remove blemishes, flaws, and imperfections. This is done to enhance the brilliance of the diamond. With the aid of a light source, diamonds sparkle and shine. When we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, God will shine his light on us so that we can be the lights that light up the kingdom.
Working out MY own soul salvation…
Candace ~ Godz1fan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 91:14 KJV
I have been meditating of this scripture often since God gave it to me in Prayer on Monday.
Let the Words of My Mouth…The words that we say, the words that we think, the words that we type when we text and instant message. Are these words pleasing to God? Just because we don’t say it out loud, does that mean we didn’t say it?
Let the Meditation of My Heart…These are the thoughts we think about the words we don’t say out loud. These are the things we think about and meditate on during the day when are checking out that brother or sister at the grocery store, in the Mall, on the job, etc., the Words we think when the car cuts us off in traffic or we the conversation we have with ourselves after we have any argument with someone, the Words we didn’t say to them.
Be Acceptable in Thy sight…We we ask God to let the Words of our mouths and the Meditations of our hearts “be acceptable in His sight” we are asking God to hold us accountable for the Words we say out loud, the Words we speak, The thoughts we have and meditate on during the course of the day, you know, right? We are also telling God that when we mess up we understands that he will correct us so that we learn how to speak and think in a way that is more pleasing and acceptable to God.
It is a stretch to ask God to let the Words of our Mouths and the Meditations of our Hearts be Acceptable in His sight. We have to stretch ourselves to watch how we speak to our brother, mother, sister, friends, co-workers, children, to make sure we don’t hurt someone’s feelings because we were harsh when the needed a soft voice or a caring voice. We have to think about things that are Pleasing to God and watch what we let in our spirit via tv, internet, etc., we have to make sure we don’t have open portals where the devil can sneak in and distract us. It’s hard…But since God has continued to press this Word into my heart I know that he is telling me that it is time; Time to Let the Words of my Mouth and the Meditation of My Heart be “more” Acceptable in His Sight.
Are you ready to Live Psalms 91:14? It doesn’t happen over night and it doesn’t come without mistakes. If you don’t make some mistakes you don’t learn anything. I really do want to know that My Words and Thoughts are Pleasing and Acceptable to God.
Trying to Live Psalms 91:14.
Candace ~ Godz1fan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Romans 4:17 being used in the right context – God gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they are. We have been taught that WE can call things that are not as though they are based on this scripture, but the scripture doesn’t say that at all. It says God calls things that are not as though they are!!!
Matthew 12:34 says: “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Proverbs 21:23: “He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself from calamity.
Do you know what to do with the Word of God? If we read the Word of God and Actively Apply it to our lives we will have Power…This way you will always have a Word for your situation (and the word won’t be Messy).
Learn the principles of God and know Your own Strengths and Weaknesses. It is dangerous to be a self-willed person. If God says NO and I choose to do what I want, then I am telling God that I don’t care. The promise will become a curse if you don’t know what to do with it.
James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
Expand your mindset and believe God for the increase. The Word of God is not a conversation piece or just for idle conversation. Talking about the game is a conversation piece. If you can’t explain it or expound on it then stop using scripture for idle conversation. The Word of God is potential. The Word of God Applied is Powerful. You cannot get a Neiman Marcus anointing from shopping at K-Mart.
Remember there is a Word for your situation. But you have to read the Word to find it.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I looked up the word dwell and the first definition said to remain for a time. When you dwell somewhere you are going to get comfortable because you are not leaving right away. You are going to take your shoes off, take your coat off, and remain for some time. When we get into our “secret place” we are not doing a drive by or hitting it and running. We are there to spend some time with God. This can be by just sitting in his presence and meditating on God, this can be reading and meditating on his word, or spending time in prayer.
Psalms 91 from verse 2 down to verse 8 begins to talk about God being our refuge and fortress, of us being able to trust in the Lord. When you spend time with someone you can begin to trust them. When you learn the ways of God by reading his word, you begin to see that the Word of God is true and that he does not lie. When we spend more time with God and less time with our problems and situations you begin to see God in a different light. He said that Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. When you spend time in prayer and walk by faith, God will direct you around the snare or entanglement.
He does this by covering you. Psalms 91:4 says, “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” He covers you because he is the strong tower that you can run to and hide behind; he covers you by putting people in place to pray for you at 2 or 3 in the morning; He covers you so that you are not afraid by day or by night.
So why is God doing all of this for us? His Word says that, “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation…When you begin to make the Lord God your habitation…What is a habitation? A dwelling place. When we begin to make God our habitation, our dwelling place, the place where we come to spend time; we come into the presence of God and begin to spend time with God so he becomes our habitation. When we begin to do this God begins to bless us. The scripture goes on to say that, “There shall NO evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” This is the blessing of making God our dwelling place. He will give his angels charge over thee, to keep the in all thy ways. He will send his angels to watch over us and bear us up if we look like we might slip and fall.
Psalms 91 goes on to say that because God has set his Love upon Us, because we have spent time with him in our secret place, He will deliver us and set us on high. It says because he hath known my name. Because we know His name; we know who He is. Because we have dwelt and made time to know God, he blesses us. Now we can call upon the Name of the Lord when we are in trouble and distressed and know for certain that God will answer and be with us when we are going through our storms. We know that he will deliver us and show us salvation.
In the secret place, you find peace for your soul. God reassures you that you don’t have to worry. He gives you remembrance of His word, when you spend time with him so that you know without a shadow of a doubt that God is with you and you don’t have to fear. Though the storm may rise all around you, when it is God’s time for your storm to be over, He will say, “Peace be still.” When we spend quality time with God we learn that peace exists even when hell is still going on around us. Spending time with God makes you confident that even though it looks like major chaos around us, we still have nothing to fear. God will be speaking to us and letting us know to just hold on and stand fast; that He is working things out, even though that is not what it looks like. God never fails.
When we stay in His word and in His presence we are letting him guide us into our destiny. They only way to do this is to submit and the only way to submit is to humble yourself and pray.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Not My Sunday Only God…
I was riding home today, just a little bit frustrated by things that are going on in my life and how my decision to stop compromising to make “family” happy has literally affected not only me but my immediate and extended family.
I also asked God to cover my daughter because she is so sensitive when it comes to “family confusion” and it really hurts her when our family goes through our little instability.
As I began to speak to God, I acknowledge that I was finding it hard to speak to Him because I was hurting so bad…AND because I had gotten so busy with school, and trying to bonus every week at work, and being with family, and friends….I had sorta put God on the back burner, so coming to him now just seemed like running to God in my time of need. I heard him say to me, “I have never been your Sunday Only God.” And He hasn’t. I have always made time for God, for reading and meditating on scripture, prayer, and most importantly…Worship.
As I pondered this, as I have done since Saturday, the Spirit in me began to rise and speak to God from my heart and I felt like Job who in his affliction stated, Though he slay me, Yet will I Praise Him! And Worship him, because He is the Winner in me.
Even though we can get bogged down with everyday life, we cannot for one minute let God be our Sunday Only God. We have to make God a part of our everyday lives so that when we go through even the slightest affliction, we don’t feel weird or like we have no right to call on Him for help. We have to maintain our relationship with God, so that we can be a witness to those in the world, that even though we go through, We have faith, hope, and a belief in God to bring us through!
When I got home I checked my facebook and had received a picture tag from my lil’ cousin who is currently in Chile as an exchange student…”Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece.” Filipenses 4:13
Remember…There is nothing we can do in our own strength, but We can do all things through Him who strengthens Us (Philippians 4:13).
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Candacegodz1fan's Blog 