Bring Things Back Into Focus

Colossians 3:17;22-25  (17) That is, everything you do or say, do in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks through him to God the Father.  (18) Wives, subject yourselves to your husbands, as is appropriate in the Lord...(22) Slaves, obey your human masters in everything, not serving only when they are watching you, to win their favor, but single-heartedly, fearing the Lord. (23) Whatever work you do, put yourself into it, as those who are serving not merely other people, but the Lord. (24) Remember that as your reward, you will receive the inheritance from the Lord. You are slaving for the Lord, for the Messiah. (25) Don’t worry — whoever is doing wrong will be paid in kind for his wrong, and there is no favoritism shown.

Who says that waking up in the morning to hit the grind of work is easy?  For those who are fortunate enough to have gainful employment, we can get use to the same routine of waking up Monday through Friday to go to the same job to do the same functions to only have two days off.  Wash. Rinse. Repeat.  I know how it feels because this is me.

Over the past few years, I have some how lost my focus for who it is that I labor.  As a man, we tend to focus on providing for our families.  We want to make sure there is a roof over their heads, food is on the table, the heat and lights are on and that everyone is happy.   Women who work can fall victim to the same things as well.  See, it is a dangerous trap to place the labor we do as a secondary means to provide in a fleshly manner for the household.  Some where along the way, we forget that God provided the job.  We gave Him thanks when it first came along and then some time down the road it turned into something we just shrug and assume it will always be there.

This morning, I want to challenge you to change your focus.  In Colossians, Paul tells us to work as we work for the Lord and not for man.  We are to do the work that we do as if we are walking into the Lords office every morning.  If you had to swipe your security card with Jesus every day as you walked through the building, how would that change your attitude?  I suspect a lot!  As such, let's remember in all that we do and say, we do it unto the Lord.  No matter what happens at work.  No matter how good or bad you may think you have it, do your tasks as given to you and work it all out for the Lord!

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Have a great day folks!

Antoine E. Hall

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." - James 1:22

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Cleansing: Let Me Show You Something

Image Courtesy of WikiMedia Commons

This entry continues a previous series I wrote nearly seven years ago on the topic of Cleansing.  This is the last one for this series.  If you missed the others, you can see them all by clicking on the Cleansing link in the right navigation under the Categories or you can simply click here:  http://toinebo.blogspot.com/search/label/Cleansing.


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Aug 2, 2006

Good afternoon gang,

Sorry for the delay, but I'm here! Let's hop straight into it. I am continuing my topic on Cleansing as God has given it to me. I told you all that I feel like I am going through a cleansing period in my life and...it seems like we are always in "valley moments". Well just when you are in the "valley", God will reach out to show you something.

What I mean by "Let Me Show You Something" is actually not me talking but God saying, "Let Me Show You Something". Last week, we talked about Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not" (KJV). Well, by now I would hope that you have called unto God. But the question is, will you go with Him when He wants to take you somewhere and show you something?

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 - (9) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (10) But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God (KJV)

It's like a parent to a child when things aren't going right. You reach your hands out to that child to show them something that they don't see or realize. The key is that the child grabs your hand so you can reveal to them the things they did not know. It's the same deal with God. If you hear him calling out to you and wanting to show you something, grab his hands and go without resistance. He will began to show you things that will blow your mind away and you will become a changed man/woman for it.

But don't take my word for it. Try it for yourself one day :-) .
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Antoine E. Hall

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." - James 1:22

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Cleansing: It's Only a Test

Today, we continue with a previous series called "Cleansing".  If you missed it, the previous post can be found here:  http://toinebo.blogspot.com/2013/07/cleansing-time-for-cleansing.html.

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Jul 12, 2006

Happy Wednesday gang....

Image Courtesy of Best Clip Art

Sorry for the delay, but I tell you I am truly happy to be able to share with you guys today. This week has been a trying week for sure. For that matter the entire month of July has been crazy and not by choice. I think in the past couple of weeks we have touched on the subject going cleansing periods. This thing has really been speaking to me and the theme of cleansing keeps reoccurring. Despite all that I'm going through, I keep being reminded that we (my family and I) are going through a cleansing period in our lives right now, each of us at different levels. With that, I want to give you guys a verse from the song, "It's Only A Test" by Bishop Larry Trotter & The Sweet Holy Spirit Choir.

"It's only a test that you're going through, it won't last always. Trials come just to make you strong, without a little bit of rain, it Just won't grow. Be strong, keep the faith, don't give up, and Realize it's only a test you're going through."

Really this is pretty much the whole song. Let's break this down a little. "It's only a test that you're going through, it won't last always..." - I know there are lots of tests in the bible, but I cannot help but to go back to my boy Job. Man, was he tested or what?

Job 2:7-10 - (7) Then the Adversary went out from the presence of Adonai and struck Iyov (Job) down with horrible infected sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (8) He took a piece of a broken pot to scratch himself and sat down in the pile of ashes. (9) His wife asked him, “Why do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God, and die!” (10) But he answered her, “You’re talking like a low-class woman! Are we to receive the good at God’s hands but reject the bad?” In all this Iyov did not say one sinful word..

If we recall, God allowed Satan to try Job but could not take his life. However, Job remained a humble and faithful servant through rough and easy times. "Trials come just to make you strong, without a little bit of rain, it Just won't grow." - Let's look at our good buddy Jonah and what he caused. When God told him to go to Ninevah and preach against the city what did he do? He ran. Come on bruh. You ran? God is everywhere. So what happened. While on a ship, God brought a great storm against the ship. Now granted the men on the ship had nothing to do with Jonah's running, but by his presence, God brought his wrath against the boat because He wanted Jonah and that's it.

Jonah 1:13-16 - (13) Nevertheless, the men rowed hard, trying to reach the shore. But they couldn’t, because the sea kept growing wilder against them. (14) Finally they cried to Adonai, “Please, Adonai, please! Don’t let us perish for causing the death of this man, and don’t hold us to account for shedding innocent blood; because you, Adonai, have done what you saw fit.” (15) Then they picked up Yonah (Jonah) and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. (16) Seized with great fear of Adonai, they offered a sacrifice to Adonai and made vows.

Now, because they did as Jonah asked and threw him overboard, the seas died down. Now for the other people on the ship, if that isn't a trial I don't know what is. Just by Jonah's presence alone, these other men were caused to fear the Lord. Sometimes it takes a rocking of your ship for you to fear the Lord and recognize that He is the Alpha and the Omega......the beginning and the end. "Be strong, keep the faith, don't give up, and Realize it's only a test you're going through." - No one ever said that being a Christian was going to be a bed of Roses and that it didn't need attending. The reality is that we are in a spiritual war of good versus evil whether you want to admit and/or accept it or not. The faith is the foundation. If we have that then being strong and being able to realize what is happening will make sense to you.

Luke 17:5-6 - (5) The emissaries said to the Lord, “Increase our trust.” (6) The Lord replied, “If you had trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this fig tree, ‘Be uprooted and replanted in the sea!’ and it would obey you.

That's all the faith you need. I am not one that is afraid to admit, I still need work in this area, however, I have seen a LOT of progress from BJ (Before Jesus) to AJ (After Jesus). So because things look bad, don't assume God has thrown the towel in on you. He never does that to his children. You just have to be patient while you are going through your test and you will be blessed in the end. Have a great hump day yall!
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Antoine E. Hall

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." - James 1:22

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Cleansing: A Time for Cleansing

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This entry comes from a small series that I wrote on Cleansing back in 2006.  Also, there is another from this series that I shared a while ago called, "Cleansing: It's OK to Slow Down".  Without out further delay here we go:

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June 28, 2006

You know these past couple of weeks have been tough......one of my dogs had to spend the night in the Vet Hospital this past weekend (he's ok now though), my daughter has been sick....my wife hasn't been feeling well....I have been sick (getting better though)....the checking account has dwindled down to little of nothing, but the bills are still arriving in the mail like clock work.....BUT, we haven't starved or missed a bill yet, so I know that all will be well. I honestly believe, my family is going through a cleansing period right now though. During cleaning time, a little dust may fly while getting it out the way.

With that said, that's what I want to talk about today. Cleansing. Let's get a working definition.

To cleanse is to "clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing; purge of an ideology, bad thoughts, or sins;"

Well, we have that in place, now let's get to some scripture.

II Corinthians 6:14-18 (CJB) - (14) Do not yoke yourselves together in a team with unbelievers. For how can righteousness and lawlessness be partners? What fellowship does light have with darkness? (15) What harmony can there be between the Messiah and B’liya‘al? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? (16) What agreement can there be between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God — as God said, “I will house myself in them, . . .and I will walk among you. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (17) Therefore Adonai says, “‘Go out from their midst; separate yourselves; don’t even touch what is unclean. Then I myself will receive you. (18) In fact, I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters.’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot.”

II Corinthians 7:1 (CJB) -  Therefore, my dear friends, since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that can defile either body or spirit, and strive to be completely holy, out of reverence for God.

...The thing is that in this world we are surrounded by more unbelievers than believers in our daily lives except on Sundays. Then again, just because someone is in church doesn't guarantee they are a believer. In God's Word, it says that as long as you are not yoked (joined together or form a connection) with an unbeliever, He will receive you and will be a Father unto you and we shall be his sons and daughters. But, before we can do this we must first cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit. In addition we are to work towards perfecting holiness all while in the fear of God.

I said all this to say that do not dwell on what is happening in your life right now on the surface. As bad as it may seem, there is probably a good reason for it all. Look at your life spiritually and you may find that some simple house cleaning needed to be done.
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Antoine E. Hall

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." - James 1:22

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Re-Framing Failure

Don't look at failure as failure, but look at it as you crossed the wrong finish line.

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The Narrow Gate

Matthew 7:13-14

13 “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

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Watch What You Say

Ephesians 4:29

Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them.

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A Good Definition of Evil

“...when good that should be there is missing from something, that is evil....Evil is, in reality, a parasite that cannot exist except as a hole in something that should be solid.  In some cases, though, evil is more easily explained as a case of bad relationships” 

Geisler, Norman and Brooks, Ron.  When Skeptics Ask.  Copyright 1990.  p. 61

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You Only Live Once

"You only live once, but you can die twice."

- KB, from the song Anomaly

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When Is Enough, Enough

"(11) Not that I am saying this to call attention to any need of mine; since, as far as I am concerned, I have learned to be content regardless of circumstances. (12) I know what it is to be in want, and I know what it is to have more than enough — in everything and in every way I have learned the secret of being full and being hungry, of having abundance and being in need. (13) I can do all things through him who gives me power."  Philippians 4:11-13 (CJB)

Courtesy of WikiMedia.com

Today, we live in a world where we are inundated by commercials to entice us to purchase the latest and greatest things.  We are prompted to look at our old ______ (fill in the blank) and feel the need to replace it with the latest and greatest version.

The trigger for this topic was due to my commute this morning.  As I drove into work, I went past a car lot which showcased several new BMW's in the front.  In that brief moment, I saw a guy looking at one of the new one's on display, while at the same time he had just stepped out of a fairly new looking BMW of his own.  Now, I don't know what this guy's intentions were.  As far as I know he could have been looking to buy a car for his kid, looking for a friend, or maybe looking to upgrade.  I do not know his motives.

My thoughts started to turn to how we as people tend to get into the habit of just buying stuff.  We buy stuff and we hold on to stuff....wash rinse repeat.  It almost seems that nothing can satisfy people for any length of time any more.  If you cannot keep their attention, then it's on to the next newest and latest and greatest  ______ (fill in the blank).  I am a gadgets guy and as such, gadget geeks have an inclination to get the latest and greatest stuff.  However, I am usually reluctant to drop the cash necessary to "stay current".  I find myself asking myself, "Do I really need this?"  Really, this is a question that we all can ask ourselves but typically we are driven to make purchases based off emotions and the spur of the moment.

When you look at your closet full of shoes, can you feel that you have enough?  When you look at your closet full of cloths, (with stored away seasonal cloths) can you say that you have enough?  Can you look at your small house size and say this is all that I need?   Can you enjoy the moments when you want things that you do not have the means to purchase at the moment?  We need to get to a point where Paul was in Philippians.  We have to learn to know what it feels like to want and know what it feels like to have an abundance.  In both cases, the important part is to learn to be content in both cases under the comfort and strength of Christ.

Be Blessed Folks.

Antoine E. Hall

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