DO NOT QUIT

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (KJV)
“4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”...
Obey or disobey is our battleground. Our casualties come from disobedience. Therefore, the only way we can avoid suffering loss is to obey. This is why obedience is better than sacrifice. Our alternatives to obedience are simply disobedience.
As in any war there will be casualties. Casualties give us reality checks and cause us to develop strategies that are more realistic to the impact the enemy has on us. We cannot keep doing what we have always done and expect to get better results. Change up, build up, refocus, and reconstruct till we find what works. What is it going to take for us to obey?
In the 82nd Airborne Division they taught us to adapt and overcome. To adapt means to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly. It means to adjust oneself to different conditions, environment, etc… Everyone’s condition and environment may vary, yet, the principal remains the same; to overcome one must simply adjust.
Casualties do not determine the war is over; giving up is when the war is over. As long as we stay in the battle we have chance of revenge concerning our casualties. To quit is no chance at all.

THE GOSPEL

 Mark 1:1 (KJV)
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
Nothing like telling folks right up front what things are about. Mark is letting us know it is about Jesus being the Son of God. This is the subject of the Gospel, the main character, the story line, the thesis, it is all about Jesus.
It is a narrative waiting to be encountered; get inside the story as it is told. Get as close to Jesus as you can, close enough you can watch Him breathe. Watch His expressions as He speaks, see if you can see and hear what He may not be saying in His actions and reactions.
Crawl up into the Gospel until the narrative makes you apart of the story; the Gospel, the good news, the power of God unto salvation.

CHERISHING THE SEED

Romans 6:22 (KJV)
“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”
Fruit is a manifestation or product of seed. Therefore, holiness is the result of seed. Jesus made it plain in a parable, we are the soil and the Word is the seed. Jesus is the Word made flesh; and beyond that, Jesus dwelt among us. He being made flesh and dwelling among us (Emanuel) became paradigmatic relationally. In other words, He set the standard for holiness as being relational.
Holiness is the seed of God inside us. We, the soil, are dependent on how we treat the seed. The seed has all the ingredients we need to bear fruit unto holiness. If we provide a stony heart it will die before the fruit can appear. If we are weed infested, it will choke out before it can become fruit. If we are shallow, conditions in our life will scorch it before it can become fruit. If our love is warm, inviting, cuddly, and deep; the seed can spread its roots and bring forth out of relationship mature juicy fruit.
Keep hoping, hold on to seed with dear life, if the seed remaineth in us there can be no happy sin in us. Holiness comes out of desire and relational commitment; it is never something we produce, it is result of the seed in us, it is the seed in us. Cherish it.

FREEDOM FEST

Romans 6:18 (KJV)
“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Serving sin is a bondage fest; being servants of righteousness is a freedom fest, a love fest. Becoming what we are intended to be requires much and is worth every bit the freedom we have in it. Transition, transformation, regeneration, justification, and sanctification come to us through much toil and brokenness; deliverance, healing, and wholeness are the results found in the labor of love and mercy. How can it not be a freedom fest, and a love fest?

ALIVE FROM THE DEAD

Romans 6:13 (KJV)
“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
Yielding to God is appropriate; it is a sure manifestation of being spiritually alive.

MATRIX

Exodus 34:19 (KJV)
“All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.”
All things are created by Him and for Him. Matrix “is something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops” (dictionary.com). In the Hebrew this word is the “womb.” Isaiah indicated his matrix began in the womb, “And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant…”(Isaiah 49:5).
In other words, his service to God and to Israel was developed into his DNA and took place in the womb before his birth. Our matrix of Father God is of a spiritual origin since He is Spirit; the matrix of our spiritual origin is in us all waiting to be discovered, explored, and fulfilled.
It is only right for God to expect our first fruits from the woman; first fruit represent the heart of the matrix He holds in His hands.

WORSHIP

Exodus 34:14 (KJV)

“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”

Worship is homage; it is an attitude and activity designed to recognize and describe worth. Therefore, Christian worship should be designed to recognize and describe the worth of our God. We should be motivated by desire to worship God. What can we do in the way of action to recognize and describe the worth of God?