YOU MAY BE QUALIFIED.. ARE YOU CALLED?

When the Holy Spirit took me through this story in the bible today, it put the biggest smile on my face. I will be speaking about the story of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah was a prophet called by God to bring those who worshiped other Gods to serve Jesus. His ministry was a very popular one, and he did marvelous things with the power he was given. Today, my focus will be on Elisha.

Elijah was struck with fear of Jezebel, after he had called down fire upon her false prophets. This was victory in the eyes of God. We must know that when we overcome the enemy, he still comes after you, except harder than before. So upon hearing that Jezebel wanted to slit his throat, Elijah fled in fear and asked for death to consume him. God instructed Elijah to return back to his home ministry, and to continue to preach and save the lost. Elijah did not want to because that was where Jezebel was. Because of his disobedience to the lord, God told him that he was taking away his mantle, and that he already had the person for it. Important lesson on obedience is better than sacrifice.

Upon receiving instructions from the lord, Elijah traveled to where Elisha was, removed his mantle and placed it on Elisha. This was the first step in being CALLED BY GOD! Scripture stated, that Elisha followed Elijah for TEN YEARS! I REPEAT FOR TEN YEARS! During these ten years, Elisha was a servant to Elijah. He was not preaching, or bringing down fire from heaven like Elijah. Elisha was learning all that he could. Learning what to do, and more importantly what not to do!

Elisha was humbled through this journey, to be called and chosen by God is an awesome feeling. Now, let's get to the basis of my post. "And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, thou knowest that the Lord will take him away thy master from thy head today? And he answered, Yea, i know it; hold your peace"  2 Kings 2:5

These sons of the prophets had extensive knowledge. They all went to school, had what we today would call biblical degrees. They were filled with all the knowledge you could think of. They could not understand why God chose Elisha to take the mantle instead of one of them. They felt that they were more qualified than Elisha was. Elisha did nothing but follow Elijah around for ten years what makes him qualified?? This is what separates those who have been called, and those who have been chosen!

God looks past the wisdom and knowledge, he searches the matters of the heart. Even though the sons of the prophets had the wisdom and knowledge, one thing we can clearly see they lack is HUMILITY! Humility is very important to God, for without it, we cannot effectively do the work he has called us to do. Elisha served Elijah for ten years and learned all that he could. Not once did he get angry or upset, asking why he was not doing "real ministry work" he followed Elijah faithfully.

My words of encouragement to those who are chosen by God is this; Never allow others to tell you that you are not worthy enough. Those biblical degrees mean nothing in the eyes of God. If they are not backed by HUMILITY, consider it vanity. God knows your heart, and knows that your intentions are pure, and wanting to faithfully serve his children. Keep your eyes on God, and not man. Keep this in mind, GOD IS THE ONE WHO DOES THE ORDAINING! NOT MAN! I REPEAT.. GOD IS THE ONE WHO DOES THE ORDAINING.. NOT MAN! Seek God and allow him to show you your purpose while here on his earth.

Are You Wearing Your Helmet Of Salvation?

Are you wearing your helmet of salvation? I know you may look at yourself physically and say no, I mean spiritually that is. Each day upon waking, we are to put on our full Armour of God. And the fifth piece to that armor is the Helmet of salvation!Think of a person who has gone to war, and the importance of making sure their Armour is on and that they are paying attention to their surroundings. Where many of us make our mistakes is by not putting on our full Armour. Many don't know it even exist, and this is what the enemy loves when it comes to God's children. It is imperative to read the bible EVERYDAY! It is filled with so much instruction and knowledge with things that we need. If you don't read the bible you wont know ho to gird up your loins, then in turn leaves you vulnerable for attacks. And then you wonder why you feel like nothing goes right in your life, you are walking around defenseless!

Satan is out to STEAL, KILL, AND DESTROY! We must know that those are his intentions which should express the severity of this matter. That helmet of Salvation is crucial, for while in warfare, a blow to the head can not only damage your brain, if hit hard enough it can kill you. I pray that upon waking each morning before your feet even hit the floor that you pray and put on your full Armour. Never leave the house without it!

Helmet Of Salvation- Back in biblical times, the helmets were normally made of thick leather covered with metal plates. The purpose of the helmet was to protect the head while in battle against swords commonly used in during that time. The moment satan can enter into your mind, and begin to influence your thoughts is the moment you have a serious problem that needs to assessed. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2. Bible is telling you, NOT TO BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD. Conform means to be similar in form or type. We are not to be walking around doing what people of the world do, we are to be examples of Christ. 

The renewal of your mind only occurs once you give your lives back to Christ. It is a daily battle that you must be willing to face. Satan is the master of deception, if can alter your thoughts, he then can have full control of you. It all starts with our thinking. If you tell yourself, "Ill never make it in life, nothing is going right in my life, I mine as well just kill myself to get it over with" One, this is suicidal thoughts, one of the main ways satan infiltrates the mind of a believer. Two, scripture states that life and death lies in the power of the tongue. So here you are speaking what you are speaking, and unknowingly, you are spewing death over your situation.

Put on that helmet of salvation and keep your mind girded AT ALL TIMES! Speak life over your mind. Declare with your mouth daily that you have a sound mind, declare and decree that you will have a mind like Christ. When we speak scripture over ourselves, it begins to manifest. Take back your mind, and allow God to fill it with his thoughts and ideas for your life! Stop giving man so much power and influence over your mind, you are destroying what God has given you. When you have a thought that enters your mind that is not of God, IMMEDIATELY REBUKE IT! Don't allow it to sit and fester, bind it up and keep it moving.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me"! Phillipians 4:6. Meaning, there is nothing you can not accomplish as long as you are in the will of God and what it is you are trying to do coincides with the word Of God. So i will ask you again, Do you have on your helmet of Salvation?

How To Get God To Bless Your Finances

Finances is a area where we wished we never lacked in. We sit down daily, looking at the bills piling up on the kitchen table, the eviction notice placed on the front door. Your lights are on the verge of being cut off. Lord, can't you just give me a break? We cry out to God day and night, angry because he is the reason you are behind in your rent or bills. Let me stop you right there, we cannot keep blaming God for our wrongdoings. There comes a point in our lives when we must own up to our mistakes and accept responsibility.

Staying in a state of anger and confusion, will put a halt on the release of your finances. The answer to your money problems, lies in the bible. "Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, "How have we robbed you? "In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you" Malachi :8-9. Honestly, this is the answer to why your finances are a wreck, you are robbing God of what is due unto him. God will not bless your finances due to your refusal of paying tithes. Simple answer right? Let me explain to you why.

God knows that the world we live in is very demanding. Demanding of our time, love, and money. We need money to maintain a life here on this earth. We know that if it was possible, we would love to live without having to pay anything. Unfortunately, life does not work that way. God desires you to have faith and trust in him. I am not talking about professing it with your mouth, on Sunday and then returning home going back to your normal lifestyle. I am talking about when trials come your way to test your faith, will you be obedient? Will you still say, God I trust you?

The main reason we do not pay our tithes," I cant pay my tithes, if I do that I wont be able to pay my rent. Or, "That is just too much money, my family comes first, I will pay my tithes another time. And the issue is, we never get around to doing it, and your situation will continue to fall apart. Let me say this, WE MUST PUT GOD FIRST BEFORE EVERYTHING. GOD COMES BEFORE OUR WIVES/HUSBANDS, OUR CHILDREN, EVERYTHING! When you learn to put God first, everything else will fall into place. When you pay your tithes, faithfully, you will see the hands of God move on your behalf. Not only faithfully, but scripture states that you must, "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" 2 Corinthians 9:7.

We are not to tithe with anger in our hearts, or try to deceive God. We must do it from our hearts, knowing that we are obeying his law, and that he loves a cheerful giver. When you tithe, leave every worry you have regarding your finances on his throne, knowing that when you release that seed, it will come back to you in his perfect timing. God wants to know if you trust him like you say you do. He knows that you have bills piling up, car note late, house in process of being foreclosed on. God knows all of these things, and he also is the only one who has ALL the resources to fix those problems.

Another way our finances are messed up is due to us being disobedient.We do not know what it means to save money. Every dime you receive is not meant to be spent. Bible states that we should be the LENDER not the BORROWER! Get in the habit of following what God is telling us. Learn what the bible says, and do your best to follow it. Many of go out and buy these cars, homes,and things we did not seek God for first. Credit card spending, so many things contribute to our finances being screwed up. God only requires your trust in him that he shall supply all of your needs. I encourage you to get in the habit of FAITHFULLY paying your tithes and watch how he works, When you pay your tithes, take your situation to pray and leave it at his feet never to pick it back up again.

God did not create us to suffer like we do. Certain things we have no control over, but there are many things we do. And your fiances is one of them. Do not allow someone else to mess up your blessings and finances. Seek the face of God today asking for repentance, and having him guide your hearts in tithing.

Are You A Provebs 31 Woman?

"A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." Proverbs 31:10-31

Explanation:
As women of God, we are all called to be a proverbs 31 Woman! The way society has it, we run from the proverbs 31 woman role, for we feel that it is not fair. Why do I have to do all of these things to a man who does not deserve it? Lord, it is just not fair is our favorite line in prayer when this chapter is brought to our attention. 

"Wives, submit yourselves to your husband, as is fitting to the lord" Colossians 3:18. This is the scripture that gets frowned upon, and a scripture that is extremely vital in a marriage, but gets pushed to the side each time it is written. God gave us certain rules and laws to follow for a reason. And the enemy loves to mislead us, and tell us that we ont have to follow these rules given.

As a wife, being submissive to your husband is IMPORTANT! The first thing I know many of you are thinking, is why should I be submissive to my husband? He cheats on me, doesn't love me, curses at me, I could go on for days. Let me say this to you. We make our mistakes, is by going ahead of God, allowing our FLESH to lead the way in searching for a husband. When the bible states, A MAN WHO FINDS A WIFE, FINDS A GOOD THING! 

We go searching for a man who can please us PHYSICALLY. They can buy us everything we could hope for. Spiritually, they have no knowledge of God, and for some they don't even seek after God. For they themselves are out in the world, and you knew this when you married him. For many women, before you actually married this man God knew was not for you, he gave you MANY WARNINGS.. The problem is, you IGNORED those warnings and proceeded anyway.

Later down the marriage, you wonder why it is not all you hoped and dreamed for. God is the one who ordains marriages, not us! So when it comes to being submissive to your husband, if you had patience to wait for God to send your Boaz, instead of seeking, finding, and marrying a ahab, you would have no problem with being submissive. In the bible it speaks about the order of the household. The man is considered head of household for a reason, your husband is supposed to be your covering in the spiritual realm. If your husband, is not a man of God, you have no covering.

As a proverbs 21 woman, it is our duty to make sure that our home is taken care of at all times. God has ordained our hands, which when we learn how to properly use them, they can not only bring and keep peace in our homes, but can also create a source of income. 

Virtuous- Having or showing good moral standards.

In other words, a virtuous woman is righteous, pure, ethical, upright, high minded, self disciplined, so many attributes go into the making of a proverbs 31 woman. 

A proverbs 31 woman is filled with wisdom and knowledge, for she seeks after God first. She knows that when God is put first in her marriage, that all else will fall in place. Too many women, put our husbands before God when it should not be this way.  A proverbs 31 makes sure that her household including her children are taken care of according to the word of God. As long as she continues to seek after the lord, she shall lack in nothing. 

It's not hard being submissive your husband, when your husband was sent from God. Seek after God and ask him to instill in you the attributes of a proverbs 31 woman. Tell God, that you no longer want to live the way you are. Seek him for forgiveness in how you have been treating him. Repent, and search after God until he shows you what to do. When we go to God asking him to fix or change

our husband, God will begin his work on you first not him! So allow God to mold you into the woman he needs you to be. 

Are You Willing To Walk Away?

We are all given a measure of faith, and it is up to us to put our faith into action! This post today will be my testimony about having faith that surpasses all of your fears.

At the time he was only my fiance, we both had good paying jobs. I worked at the airport full time, and he was an assistant activities director full time. Both children were in daycare, and we really didn't have any complaints. God began to tug at my heart regarding moving down south to Georgia. Majority of my family lived down there, so it was not like I was moving to a state where I knew nobody. My aunt was my closest relative at the time, and we would discuss it all the time, making plans to leave New Jersey to move down south.

Every time it came time to leave, our fears trumped our faith and we ended up backing out. One thing I learned, is that when the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart, and when you choose to ignore, the tugging does not go away it gets stronger. So our third year being together, we discussed moving down south again. Not, by this time we were the laughing stock of the crowd due to telling people we were leaving previous years and never left. This time we were serious,but it was like the little boy who cried wolf. Despite being ignored, we still proceeded forward.

The Holy spirit unctioned me to leave sooner than we had planned. We had just moved into our second apartment. We paid $1600 in total to move in, had the place fully furnished and everything. Only stayed there about a month and we left and moved down south to start all over. We had doubt in our ears the entire time, telling us that we wouldn't make it, and that we would be back like everyone else that left to go to Georgia. Everyone else's fear were lodged in our ears, replaying over and over.

My aunt came and got us, and we left behind everything we had, only brought enough clothing to last for about a week. I ended giving my aunt our fully furnished apartment. We had not a dime to our name, but we knew in our hearts that God was calling us somewhere else. Upon moving to Georgia, it was very ruff. Staying with family, heated altercations, many things happened to try and deter us to move back to New Jersey, but we refused, we stood our grounds.

I want to tell you the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit's leading. If we had not listened, you would not be reading this blog post. I would not be where I am in Christ today. The area we lived in was a very bad one. It was drug infested, a lot of killings were taking place. That summer was a very disastrous one, many blood was shed, especially on the block we lived on. There is no teling if we would have stayed, if we would even still be alive. God can foresee the things we can't, so when he tells us to do something, we must listen.

It took complete FAITH to step out and leave everything we knew behind. We both grew up in New Jersey, and we just left to move where we had never been before. Sometimes God will remove you from where you are, a change of scenery, in order to get you to where he needs you to be. Upon moving, is when God began to work on me spiritually He began to chisel away at the anger I had built up. This walk with him did nothing but build my faith in him. Through each trial we faced down here, God delivered us through them all! Not one time did he leave us stranded..

So my question to you is: If God told you to leave it all behind and start over, would you? It is easy to open your mouth and say yes, but when that time comes will you really do it? God requires obedience from his children. Scriptures states that "Obedience is better than sacrifice" Submit to the will of god, even if you may not understand. In due time, he will reveal why you had to endure all that you went through. It will be worth it all in the end. So muster up the measure of faith you have been given, and take that leap of faith the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. I promise

you wont regret your decision.

DO NOT GLOAT OVER YOUR ENEMIES!

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. " Proverbs 24:17-18

We are quick to laugh at those who are going through once we are set free from our storms. They may have done us wrong, kicked you when you were down, threw you to the side. When you needed them the most, they were not there. How could the ones we love so much treat us this way? You have the heart that does nothing but give and give, and people abuse it and just take from you until there is nothing left. You are on the verge of giving up that hope in humanity, feeling you should be stingy and keep everything to yourself.

When God brings us through our storms, we must not forget where we came from, remain humble in your walk with Christ. Do not look down on people who you deem beneath your feet, for just as God lifted you up, he can easily bring you right back down. So do not get ahead of yourself and think that you are better than the next person. We are all equal in the eyes of Gods. Man seeks after the outer appearance, but God searches the matters of the heart.

When the wrath of God falls upon your enemies, we are to stand in the gap for them in prayer. Yes I said it. WE ARE TO PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES. "Love your enemies, and bless those that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you" Matthew 5:44. Our enemies may not treat us with respect, love, or affection. But as children of God, we are called to show them the love we think they don't deserve. We are to love them as Jesus loves us.

When we began to gloat over our enemies, we stop the process of God. God chastises those who disobey him, but when we began to interfere with the business of God, he will stop it and remove himself from the situation. God will take care of those who are against you, but we must not allow fleshly feelings and desires get in the way of God. Just as people helped you when you were down, we must extend a helping hand as well. Not just to those who feel deserves it, to those who we feel don;t as well. God will instruct you how to move and maneuver around snakes, no need to be afraid of being bitten. You are covered under the blood.

He will use those willing to see people through his eyes. We must not rely on our eyes for they can deceive us. Pray for your spiritual eyes to be open, and for his love that does not discriminate to fall upon you. You can do all things through Christ
18 or the     
which strengthens you!

Depression & Suicide: How To Overcome

There are many people today battling depression and suicidal thoughts on a day to day basis. The weight of the world is on your shoulders, the wells in your eyes have held so many tears that it now leaks when you are least expected. You wear a mask so the world cannot see the pain you endure. You walk around as if you are happy, knowing at any moment you can have a break down. So to avoid these things from happening, you isolate yourself from the world, only coming out if necessary. Your heart has been broken so many times, you just feel like the world is against you.

Allow me to shine some light in your darkness. "Trust in the lord with all thine heart, and lean NOT on thine own understanding" Proverbs 3:5-6 God is telling you to trust not on your own understanding. The first question you need to ask if why would he instruct us do do this? "For my ways are not your ways, nor my thoughts are not your thoughts"Isaiah 55:8. There are plenty things going on in our lives right now, and our human mind cannot seem to understand why they are occurring.

Many of us feel we have not done anything wrong to deserve these unfortunate things. We go crazy trying to find a solution to our problems, feeling that God has not answered our prayers quick enough. And when we run out of options, we fall into that state of depression. The world no longer has color, everything in our path looks dark, and we have no feeling nor emotion towards nothing. We cry ourselves to sleep every night and wish that it could all just be over.

SATAN ONLY COMES AFTER PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE GREAT IN GOD'S KINGDOM! He is not coming after someone whom he already has control over. Many of you are being attacked left from right, people have walked out of your life and you can't seem to understand why. That is why he says lean not on your own understanding. Your own understanding will tell you that God does not love you. God's ways will tell you that he requires you to go through certain things in order to birth out his promises for your life.

Depression and suicide is a serious matter, nothing to be played with. You are risking your life when you take these things lightly. God is willing, ready, and able to accept you back into his kingdom. No matter how far you have gone, he is waiting on you to call upon him. He knows the dark thoughts that run through your mind, the things you have no control over. God is ready to step in and fix these issues, but he cant fix them until you call upon him. God never oversteps his boundaries, he gives us the freedom to choose who we will; serve.

It is my prayer that you call out to God today and tell him you no longer want to live the way you are living. Cry out to him and tell him you are afraid, and allow him to take you through his word to show you why you should not be scared.

If you need someone to pray with you please contact me:
facebook: Patrice Bridges
Email:jeremiahgeneration16@gmail.com
PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID, I AM WILLING TO PRAY WITH YOU THROUGH THIS SITUATION..