"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I
possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass
away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection
comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked
like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a
man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a
mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I
shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But
the greatest of these is love." - (1 Corinthians 13 NIV)
Happy Wonderful Wednesday!!!
I know it's been a minute. And it wasn't
intentional for me to stay away so long. But in between working and writing my
new e-book, God is still moving in my life, and I'm glad He has redeemed me
with another chance. It's true that the prayers of the righteous availeth much!
He dwells in my heart and in my praise. In spite of the enemy trying to kick me
down at my job and in my personal life, but it's only because February 27th is
my spiritual birthday of receiving Jesus as my personal Savior, and so far, He
is still wonderful to me. I have a lot to rejoice about.
I really don't know what 2013 holds, but all I
know is that my life is in God's Hands and no one will pluck me out of
them.
Today, the Lord wants me to share with you about
boasting.
Love does not boast.
My, how this word is used out-of-context and in a
precarious manner! Boast is defined as speaking with
exaggeration and in excessive (wrongful and ugly) pride. Parenthesis is mine.
Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with
being proud of our accomplishments because only we know what we
endured to get where we are.
But God's ultimate definition about distasteful
boasting stinks in His nostrils. And I can honestly see why. It causes us to
excessively exalt ourselves in ways the human mind can't begin to fathom.
Erroneous boasting leads to hideous arrogance, which can alter our
personalities for the worst, instead of our best interest at heart. I know
this is a hard pill to swallow, nevertheless, God is urging me to share this with you, so
you can see for yourself how horrendous boasting is.
Extreme boasting inflates our egos to make us
believe we're untouchable. It causes us to engage in sinful acts to betray and
crush each other, just so we can be important and rule "forever."
No one lives forever. Not all the money in the
world can bring you back from death. It is God and God alone, who determines
our destiny, whether we get another chance at life or not. Playing as God is
not recommended and it isn't healthy for our souls.
When we feel our lives slipping from us, we come
to realize we're not as powerful as we think we are.
Selfish boasting leads to delusion in our
thinking that we're better than everyone else. God abhors the pride of life.
Pride of life manipulates us to believe that life is guaranteed to us if we get
our way, forgetting the consequences.
In our current world, today, we're consumed in
believing that waiting takes too long, that we're self-entitled without working
hard for what we want, that waiting is for "losers" like you and me,
when God has some dynamic blessings for us, which can change our lives for the
better, when we step in His timing.
I've come to learn, beautiful friends, that
waiting on God's timing is better than running ahead of Him or behind Him, just so I can get
what I want. I want to be clear: waiting doesn't mean we should be idle!
Occupying our time is valuable because it teaches
us discipline, grace, humility, and character. And no, we're not perfect, but it's vital that we possess these lovely qualities to make us become better and not bitter.
I will never forget, in 2004, I was extremely
impatient about getting my place. I'm laughing about it now because I can't
believe I was rushing for nothing. I thank God He was extremely patient with me
and that He was teaching me about the beauty in having patience.
I was uncomfortable when I went into a women's
shelter located in Brooklyn. I lived in Brownsville, at the time, and I was
scared for my life, and yet, God has protected me from all harm's way. I wanted
to get my blessing, which God has promised me while I was residing there. I
didn't really have much life experience, and I still don't have much to a
certain extent, because He is still working on me.
I didn't understand then why God wanted me to
wait on Him.
Now reflecting back, I see why He desired for
me to wait!
1. God was teaching me that if I wanted
to have my own place, I had to save money accordingly, in order to have my own.
2. He was teaching me that rushing in
life doesn't solve anything, but it causes too many freak accidents, which can
be avoided in my life (and yours, too). We can't avoid everything. Nonetheless,
some things can be avoided, if we take heed.
3. He was also teaching me that
everything must be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40). Life can't
thrive off chaos. Too much chaos can destroy a good thing, especially
when it's not in our best interest.
4. And He was also teaching me that if He
promised me something, it doesn't matter if it's 2 days or 2 years, He shall
bring it to pass because He doesn't lie—at all! My friends, He really doesn't
lie. Everything He told me would happen, really did
take place! (Numbers 23:19).
And in His perfect timing, He granted my desire
of having a place of my own on October 7th 2008. And I'm still living here.
Yes, what a Mighty God I serve! :)
Dark boasting, in time, starts to make people see
us in a different light, when they see us claiming to be something we're not.
Ugly boasting is unattractive. It’s deceiving us to believe we're better than
everyone else, who doesn't possess much. It’s disconcerting to one's soul. And it
also abandons us into a dreary place of severe loneliness. Loneliness isn't
good for anyone! Sometimes this happens because of our own doing, or
God wants us in that place for a season, because He's doing something new in
us, for His wonderful glory.
The only boasting God requires us to do is exalting Him. Psalms 34:2, 1 Corinthians 1:31, and 2 Corinthians 2:17
explain about boasting in God because He is Sovereign and no one takes
His place. Throughout the Bible, God makes it painfully
clear why we shouldn't serve false gods. Idols can't make rain fall out of the
sky. They can't make a way out of no way like He can. And they certainly
can't redeem us after we mess up royally!
I boast in God because I don't only know of Him,
but I truly know Him for myself. I developed a personal relationship
with Him through prayer. Beloved, we can't beat the power of prayer.
If we need a breakthrough, God is guaranteed to
step-in-on-time, when we least expect Him to.
If we need healing, God will send us a Rhema Word
at the appointed time, which is beneficial to our souls.
If we need understanding, when no one else
understands us. Jesus is our Comforter whenever we're in trouble while feeling our
lives slipping away from us.
We can try everything in the world, but nothing
else compares when we try God for ourselves. And His guaranteed results,
in a pricey and an unpredictable world, are priceless!
Prayer: Father, forgive me
when I place my confidence in wrong things, which aren't definite to me. Help
me to recognize the difference in rightful boasting in You and wrongful
boasting in self. I'm sorry that I let my pride get in the way of what You're
doing in my life. Bless me to rely on You more and not be caught up with
today's gimmicks, which can disappear in my life tomorrow. I trust You alone,
even when everything seems uncertain for me. Bless me to remember that You are
in control and You are walking with me through my troubled times. In Jesus'
Name, Amen.
If you believe in this prayer, may God continue
to transform you the way He intends you to be, for your purposed life (whatever
it may be). And may He bless you real good. Until next time, be
blessed.