Filling Your Voids

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I wish to speak to you about voids and having them filled. It is a pretty simple concept, but I wish to share some simple examples and along with some scripture of course.

In my prayers, I ask the Lord to remove qualities or sinful natures (unlike Him) from my body and life. In their places I ask Him to fill me with gifts and qualities that will contribute to the building of HIS kingdom. That is a pretty simple prayer, right? Of course it is. However, let's look at what happens when you are filled with Godly things.

Overview of Acts 4 (NIV): Peter and John (the apostles) had been speaking, preaching, healing, and resurrecting the dead in the name of Jesus. Because of this, they were arrested and thrown into jail over night, however the greatness was already done. The people had seen and believed in what the apostles were doing and it began to spread across the area. The next morning, they were brought before the Sanhedrin. Now, because I didn't know the definition of Sanhedrin, I looked it up and felt compelled to share it with you. A Sanhedrin is "[a] group of 70 men who were a religious political body for Israel (a Jewish supreme Court) made up [of] 24 chief priests (Sadducees), 24 elders (Pharisees), 22 scribes and one high priest [-] overall (71) religious men who dictated how people were to worship God and practice Judaism" (http://www.calvarychapel.com/redbarn/terms.htm#S, retrieved Wed Nov 2, 2005).

Basically, the lawmakers asked Peter and John who and what gave them the authority to do what they were doing. Here is Peter's response:

Acts 4:8-10 (8) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! (9) If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, (10) then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. (NIV)

Noticed that Peter boldly spoke out as he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The law makers could not deny what Peter and John had done because all had saw and believed, but the Sanhedrin wanted to quiet them. They asked the two not to speak about Jesus any more and to leave,"But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God." (Acts 4:19, NIV)

After more threats, they were let go and returned back to their people. They spoke about all that the Sanhedrin had said and the people all broke out into the "Believers' Prayer" (see Acts 4:24-30). After they finished praying the Word says,

Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (NIV)

Again, I would like to point out that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. See, we all have voids in our lives and if you do not fill them with something good, then something bad will fill them.

Modern Day Example: Let's look at a yard as an example. I would like to have a plush green, golf-course type lawn, but in order to do that, it must be filled with all the same type grass (tall fescue in my case) and no bare spots in my yard. If I do not fill the bare spots with seed, guess what? Weeds take over the bare spots and you have a mix of grass and weeds in your yard. (Lawn tip: A weed is anything that grows in your yard that is unwanted, so if I have Bermuda Grass and Tall Fescue Grows in patches, it can be considered a weed). Then you have to fight, buy weed killer, and remove the weeds and believe me, it is hard to undo a weed problem! The point is if I had pro-actively filled the bare spots with good grass I would not have had this fight with weeds and my lawn would be plush.

This is an example of what the devil does in our lives. We all have "bare spots", but if we do not care to fill them with Godly things, "weeds" will grow in those spaces. A good example of a bare spot (or void) is a neglected prayer life. If you do not pray, the devil will wait patiently to fill it with something unholy. 

Keep working at your Christian walk as we will always have voids to fill in our lives. Just make sure they are filled with good things. I don't know about you, but I would like the Holy Spirit to fill my voids any day!

Antoine E. Hall

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A Halfhearted Christian

Today I want to share with you on the subject of Halfhearted Christians. Before we go any further, let's get a working definition of what we are investigating.

Halfhearted: Exhibiting or feeling little interest, enthusiasm, or heart; uninspired (TheFreeDictionary.com)
Christian: following the teachings or manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus Christ

So, given those definitions, you can put it together and say that "A Halfhearted Christian is one who feels little interest, enthusiasm, or heart for following the teachings or manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus Christ". That's pretty simple and to the point right? Well do you see the problem with this though? A halfhearted Christian lives as though they know about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They know Him on Sunday and when it is convenient for them, but become filled with amnesia when their walk is complicated by following Him. They may claim to love Jesus and can even quote scripture, but live in a manor where even the unbeliever takes notice.

Because you do not whole-hearted give your time and attention to Christ, the halfhearted Christian leaves themselves open to backsliding and confusion. James 1:8 say, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (KJV). Guess what, if you do not serve God with all your heart then who do you serve? If your mind is not totally focused on Him, then the devil sees that as a prime opportunity to give you his card and say “Call me”. This can introduce both recognized and unrecognized confusion into your life.
1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (KJV). So, if God isn't your source of confusion, then you know that it is not of God. If you took the devil's card when you hit that low point (or high point) you opened yourself to choosing between two masters.

Romans 6:16 - "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (KJV)

Romans 6:16 is saying that whatever you allow to become your master, you will become a slave to it. If you are a slave of sin then it is to the death, but if it is to obedience of God then you will have righteousness and everlasting life.

If you are confused, be confused no more! If you serve the Lord with all your heart, then He will show you what is right and wrong. There is no in-between on this matter. Either you are for God or against.....you're either hot or cold....you're either black or white on the matter......you get the point.

I wish to say that if you feel halfhearted about your walk with Christ pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the error of your ways. If you know someone who is living a halfhearted walk, then speak to that person. There are only two ways – with God and not with God. At the end of the day, you must choose. I may have shared this before but one prayer that I always pray is that the Holy Spirit be with me in all things that I do: the good things and the mistakes, so that in my errors I am shown the right way. If you can't choose, call on the Holy Spirit and He will help to direct your path. In closing I want to leave you all with Romans 8:38-39 and it says,

"(38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (KJV)

Be blessed gang and have a great day!

Antoine E. Hall

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Envy Gives Birth to Greed

Courtesy of Mr. Men Wiki

Today, I want to discuss envy and how it can lead to being greedy.  Back in the mid-2000’s I could remember how I would (a) hear of a 63 year old person hitting the lotto for $20 Million; or (b) hear of someone like LeBron James who had only a high school education but had a $90 Million Nike contract before even setting foot on an NBA basketball court; or (c) drive through Northern Raleigh in the Falls Lake area looking at $2 Million dollar homes wondering how they could afford it. Yep, that use to be me and I was convicted by the Holy Spirit about it as well.

Luke 12:15 - And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (KJV)

Guess what, there is nothing wrong with having Holy ambitions and wanting more for you and your family. But, to want to reach a goal because of envy of another person and their possessions is plain being greedy. There is no other way to put it. You see how the envy part can lead to greed? So, in the examples listed above, I want to go deeper into what I would say.

(a) “Someone 63 years old winning all that money? What are they going to do with it? They are retired and they don't know what to do with all that money.”  I may have been right in that they may not have known what to do with all the money, but guess what? You and a lot of other people would not know what to do with it either! If you cannot manage what you currently have what makes you think God will give you more? Do you know that there is an organization out there that is strictly for people who come into "quick money"? Because of the increasing number of lotto winners people's lives go through dramatic changes and money is the driving force...not God & their morals.  With the increase in divorces, alcohol abuse, etc., these people need help (some not all).

(b) "Man, I can't believe, this kid is straight out of high school and has all that money. That is ridiculous." Now, that sounded about like what I would say. What did I see? I saw myself having a four year college degree and in debt. LeBron got his high school diploma and then became a Nike & NBA celebrity making Millions. However, we do not know the everyday pains of this man's life. With money and fame comes new issues and sometimes the lack of better judgment. It would be wrong to judge and say what you would do when you have no idea the atmosphere in which someone with that amount of money operates.

(c) Riding in North Raleigh, you can see some huge & beautiful houses, but then I use to start wondering, “What in the world do these people do? How can so many people afford housing of this nature when I seem like I live from month to month. I need to find out what they’re doing and do that!” Is that you? Have you ever said that before? But, have you ever wondered how their family life is? Are they putting on a front (a facade) to be with the Jones? You probably would not want to be close to what some people do in order to have what they have. Let's look at more scripture:

Proverbs 15:27 - He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live. (KJV)

Have you ever thought about the fact that some people are simply blessed for living in God's will and doing what is best for HIS kingdom? You know, this could be a possible answer for what we see others having. I think we get so wrapped up in the material items and what we want, that we lose focus on our spiritual needs and what is best for us spiritually. If we take care of these needs and live according to HIS Word, the Lord will take care of the rest of your needs.

But wait, Antoine you mentioned something about envy. Never fear, I have a scripture here for that too:

Ecclesiastes 4:4 - Then I saw that all painful effort in labor and all skill in work comes from man’s rivalry with his neighbor. This is also vanity, a vain striving after the wind and a feeding on it. (AMP)

If you want for the wrong reasons then you shall have nothing spiritually. You may acquire what you desired, but if the want wasn't spiritually motivated, the end result may be trouble to you, your family, and others around you. A lot of the times we want more and more and more, without thinking about the additional consequences that come bundled with "more".

In order to grow we must recognize our weaknesses (with the aide of the Holy Spirit of course). There I was, all that time being envious and not even recognizing it. I never considered myself as such but it only takes a small amount of envy to be envious. We have to be able to put ourselves under subjection and begin to improve those areas that need improving. I thank God that He revealed this too me and I hope that this has helped someone else too.

Antoine E. Hall

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Servant Leadership

I want to share with you all a concept called "Servant Leadership". If you have never heard of it, I know it can strike you up side the head with confusion. However, never fear, Antoine is here to break all the moves down real slow so you can understand them.

Well what is servant leadership? It seems that the two words are the exact opposite of each other. How can you serve folks and be a leader at the same time?  That is another good question. Let's get a few  working definitions, then we will bring up the rear with some scriptures.

Servant leadership is a term that is circulating among business owners and organization leaders today. It was coined by a man named Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 however, the act of servant leadership has been around since Jesus' times. Today the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership (http://www.greenleaf.org, Retrieved Wed Sep 28, 2005) defines it as:

"Servant-Leadership is a practical philosophy which supports people who choose to serve first, and then lead as a way of expanding service to individuals and institutions. Servant-leaders may or may not hold formal leadership positions. Servant-leadership encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment."

It makes you want to scratch you head right? Well, it shouldn't. The concept was revealed to me through the book "God is my CEO" by Larry Julian. But see, the idea is not just for the corporate world, it is for other non-profit organizations, and more importantly the church. I later realized that I had known of the concept all along through biblical experience and you probably did too. Amazing how the Holy Spirit works!

Think about it, you as the leader have to first be humble because in order to serve someone else you must be humble despite your title. This is a great time to look at someone who is very humble. SCRIPTURE TIME!!!!   First let's go to John 13:4-5,

(4) He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. (5) After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. (KJV)

WHAT? Why would Jesus need to do anything like that? I mean after all, he knew "that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God" (John 13:3, KJV). I mean why would he have to serve the disciples? It is also about knowing who you are, where you are coming from, and where you are going. If you know those three things, then there will no problem with serving those whom you lead.  After Jesus washed the disciples feet he says, in John 13:14-16

(14) If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.  (15) For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. (16) Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. (KJV)

Let's just remember that as leaders, we don't have to ram things down people throats nor use them as objects or a means to an end. The bottom line should not be your priority. The bottom line can be about the profit driven corporate world or your organizations goal and mission, and/or spreading and preaching the gospel. If you take care of your disciples, employees, and/or volunteers and serve their needs, the bottom line will take care of itself. Not only will they feel good about themselves, but they will feel empowered to do what's best for the organization. Again, the bottom line takes care of itself.

Now, if only we can began to apply this in our spiritual walk. The phrase for today is "Servant Leadership". Are you a position or title hog? Or, are you a humble servant, leading those you serve? Marinate on that a minute.

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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A Time & Place for Everything

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In the summer of 2005, I read this book called "God is My CEO: Following God's Principles in a Bottom-Line World" by Larry Julian.  While finishing up reading one day, I flipped ahead to the next page to see what the beginning of the next chapter would be about.  There it had the scripture from Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (NIV).

During that time in my life, I can be honest and not afraid to share, that I had been struggling with my purpose here on earth. Meaning, I had been praying that God would reveal to me his purpose as He had designed my life. I was lead to the Jeremiah scripture, but the Holy Spirit said, "Almost there, but not yet. Do some more searching on purpose."  Lord have mercy!  I was led to Ecclesiastes 3:1. There, it says,

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"

Oh man! Did that speak to me. I prayed that the Lord would reveal my purpose as He designed me and look where he led me. The Lord led me to an answer to my question. It may not have been what I wanted to here at the time, but it was an answer. I learned that there is a time and place for every purpose under Heaven and in due time, I would know my purpose. Let's read more in Ecclesiastes 3:

“(2) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; (3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

You mean to tell me it is a time for EVERYTHING?! Well according to God's Word, this is the case. I know I was not the only one going through this "purpose search" and the Holy Spirit had me to share this for more than just myself. I would encourage you to read the rest of Ecclesiastes 3 as there is a lot more to read.

Just when you think it is time for an event to occur, God says, "Not so". It is on HIS time line that things happen. In due time HE reveals what you need to know. Meanwhile, we just have to be faithful to his WORD and know that he has what is best for us. Next time you feel like it is time to do something, check with God first. He will let you know. If he doesn't answer right away, wait on him. After all that very moment may not be the time to do that something.

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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Searching for Clarity

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In today's time, I think we all get a little muffled in the mind. We all have a vision that we are searching for but it's not always clear. Sometimes we have a vision we think we are suppose to follow and then there are times when God gives us the vision, but we can't see around the bend to reach the rest of it. But never fear, God is still in the business of bring marvelous light so you can see your way out of the dark. It may not be on your own time line, but nonetheless, he will work things out.  As such, I would like to visit the book of Mark.

Mark 8:22-26   “(22) They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. (23) He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?' (24) He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.' (25) Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (26) Jesus sent him home, saying, 'Don’t even go into the village.'”

While this speaks about Jesus healing a blind man, I think we can also look at this as Jesus bringing clarity to someone's situation. It's when God is slowly revealing things to us that we get anxious and antsy. Things aren't happening fast enough, BUT, slowly God will show you what he has in store for you and it may be added to the last vision that He gave you. With that, I wish to leave you with a passage from a book called, "God is My CEO" by Larry Julian (Julian, Larry.  God Is My CEO:  Following God's Principles in a Bottom-Line World.  Adams Media.  March 1, 2001.  Pg):

"As a vision is a picture of the future in its ideal state. I believe God has a clear vision of success for each of us -- the problem lies in our inability to see it. Our lives are so immersed in the forest of our circumstances, fears, doubts, and egos; we can never rise above the tree line to see the vision. Instead, we look for signs and miracles from a mountaintop experience to help us see God's plan. In reality, God works the opposite way. As we grow closer to God, He reveals His plan to us, not in its entirety, but in small pieces. It's okay if you're struggling to find a clear vision. Many of us have driven on a desert highway toward a mountain range. At first, the mountains appear fuzzy. The closer we get, the more clearly defined the mountain range becomes. Quiet your soul to hear God's voice and see His clues. Act on those clues, one by one, and the vision will slowly become clearer."

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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No Power, No Light

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I want to talk about a simple concept. What is the concept? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let's look at a simple power circuit.

In a power circuit, there is a source of power and there is some resistance. The resistance can be a light, TV, radio, etc...I think you get the point. Well, in order for a circuit to work properly, you must have a complete circuit; meaning, all the wires must be connected to the light and the source. However, if you have a break in the circuit, then your appliance will not work and you begin to wonder what's wrong.

Let's look at another example: a home. In your house, as long as you pay the light bills, you will always go under the assumption that if you plug something in the socket, it will work! BUT, if you miss a light bill payment, you will quickly learn the concept of cause and effect. All your plugs are no longer hot (or work).  And that is a terrible thing when you are not connected to your source.  So, are you plugged into your Power Source? You do know that your source of power comes from the Lord, right?

1 Chronicles 29:11-12  “(11) Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. (12) Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”

David recognized his source through his prayers as well as you should. See the problem isn't whether or not we paid our light bill because our debt has already been paid by the blood of Jesus. That means you have access to "Always On" or "Hot" power. Whenever you plug into the Him, you will always have the power so that your light can shine brightly.

Now that you know you have an "Always On" power source you have no reason not to have power. When you look around and realize that your light is out, find yourself a plug (prayer or the Word) and plug into it. I guarantee your lights will burn again. If it flickers, don't worry because the power is there. However, if your light goes out, it's not the Source's fault. It's your own.


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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Addictions and Bad Habits

I want to talk to you about addictions and bad habits. I am not just talking about being addicted to alcohol or drugs, because addictions can include the TV, work, sex, gossip, etc. If you are going to be addicted to something shouldn't you be addicted to Christ? I mean that's a good addiction isn't it?

Addictions start out as a something new to try. After a while, it becomes a habit (or something you do not think about but just do). Once you find yourself in this position, you are addicted to what you are doing.  Let's define the word addition.

addiction (noun): “The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something.” (Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/addicition, Feb 22, 2006)

There were multiple definitions out there, but I really liked this one. Now let's look to the Word of God for an example of habits and what they can cause.

1 Timothy 5:11-13    "(11)As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. (12)Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.  (13)Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to." (NIV)

In the example above, Paul is speaking on how to deal with young widows. Before verse 11, he states that no woman younger than 60 may be placed on the widows list. Why? Well he explains in verses 11-13. The reason is because they let their "sensual desires" take priority over their "dedication to Christ". In addition to this, the younger widows form a "habit" of being idle and becoming "gossips and busybodies". There is an addiction in that one passage and it is not to Christ. It is an addiction to things that would keep someone from Christ.

Like I said earlier, the TV can be your addiction. If you cannot sit quietly and feel the need for the TV then it's your addiction. Or, if you come home and your first notion is to go for the remote well that may be something that you need to address. Maybe the first thing you do is run to the computer and check Facebook or email. Well, that is something you may want to identify, accept that these are bad habits and change them. If we can work to replace the things that occupy our time away from Christ, we can begin to live a more victorious Christian life. Why? This is because you would begin to spend more time with Christ. If we are looking towards God instead of gossiping, you can begin to break the habit of gossip.

Well how can you break addictions? In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul gives us a starting place:

"(22)You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23)to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24)and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (NIV)

In addition we can look at Chronicles and Psalm as well.

1 Chronicles 16:11   "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."

Psalm 34:1   "I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips."

If we can learn to identify our habits we can change them. Remember that acceptance is the first step. If you cannot accept the fact that you have an addiction or bad habit, you will never move forward with changing it. Bad habits do not change over night. It is a gradual process, however, if you slowly begin to replace these activities with more Godly activities, you will see how the habit slowly goes away. Remember that no two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time.

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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Naked You Came. Naked You Shall Return

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A couple of nights ago, the family got to sit down and read Job 1 (sounds like Jobe) and I have to tell you, I learned (and re-learned) some things once again.  It isn't that I do not always learn but rather this was a different take on the same scripture that I have read in the past. I am not going to quote the entire chapter one in its entirety but I do want to set the stage for what is the beginning of many trials for a servant of God.

Job, the Man.

For those who do not know of Job, he "was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1).  He had seven sons and three daughters which by most standards today would constitute as a large family for one home.  "He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 pairs of oxen and 500 female donkeys, as well as a great number of servants; so that he was the wealthiest man in the east." (Job 1:3).  If you continue reading verses 4 and 5, you will see that each of his sons had feasts on their respective days and invited their sisters to come and feast with them.  And, at the end all of this, Job would offer up burnt offerings to the Lord JUST IN CASE his sons might have sinned against God.  This is the type of man, that he was.

The Challenge.

The interesting thing about Job's trials is that they all started out with a conversation between the Lord and Satan.  In verses 6 through 12, we find that the conversation begins with the Lord asking Satan where he had been.  Satan simply responded that he had been roaming the earth here and there.  At this point is where it gets interesting.  Sounding like the father of a proud son, the Lord asked Satan if he had noticed Job whom as we remember "was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1).  As the discussion carries on Satan responds by saying that the Lord had protected Job and provided all the things he had.  If all of those things were taken away, Job would surely curse God (see Job 11).  So, to prove just how upright Job was God laid down the challenge by stating that Satan could touch everything around Job, but he could not touch Job himself.

Now that you have a back drop, in chapter one alone we see that Satan starts to make events happen that surround Job.  We find that he has his oxen stolen and the servants tending to them were killed, but one to relay the message to Job.  We see that fire fell from the sky to consume the sheep and servants and all were killed, but one to relay the message to Job.  Then, the Chaldeans attacked and stole all the camels and killed the servants, but one to relay the message to Job.  Lastly, is what I would consider as what should have been a dagger.  As Job's sons and daughters feasted in the oldest brother's home, a rouge wind came and collapsed the home on top of them, killing them all but who?  Yep, you guessed it.  It killed all but one servant to relay the message back to Job.

All at once, the once great man of the east had is wealth reduced to nothing.  To the average person in modern time, they might would immediately curse God and/or commit suicide however Job was not the average person.  In an act that seems almost impossible in most eyes, Job drew himself closer to the Lord.  Job tore his cloths off, shaved his head and fell down on the ground and worshiped by saying:

"Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21)

Verse 22 ends the chapter with " In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly".  WOW!  I say WOW because that is true Love for the one who first Loved us!  So with that, this is what I took away from Chapter 1.

Be Perfect, Upright, Fear God, & Avoid Evil  - The way that Job became the great man that he was is because of these qualities.  Becoming wealthy isn't in the cards for everyone.  As a matter of fact, owning a lot things is not the plan that God has for you, but we can still be great people of God by keeping the qualities that Job had.  With that being said, God will give you everything you need.

Nothing Happens to You Unless God Allows It - People have a habit of blaming the devil for many things that happen to them.  In a lot of the cases, it is not Satan who causes us problems, but rather what God has allowed to happen.  With Job, Satan had to get permission to cause distress to him, but still it had to be within the parameters that God set.  God will let bad things happen to you to make you grow up, to tear things from your grips that are hindering your spiritual walk, or a host of other things.  In Job's case, the permission came to show how upright Job would be despite his material and emotional loss.

Naked You Came. Naked You Shall Return - Job gave us this lesson and pretty much sums up our lives.  Out of all the things you obtain in this life we cannot take it with us when we die.  When we are born into this world, we had nothing but our naked bodies.  When we die, you may be buried in a suite or dress, but you aren't taking them with you to heaven or hell.  Even when it comes to relatives.  Although we may see them again one day upon Jesus' return, it is alone that we are born and naked that we shall die.

These things are hard to even understand for many of us because our flesh tends to desire the things that we see as opposed to focusing on the things we cannot see.  I hope that this will be a blessing to you as much as it was for me in learning (and re-learning) this application of the Word of God.

Be Blessed 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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Submit Yourselves to God (James 4)

Today, I want to share with you James 4.  I am not providing any other commentary, but rather allowing James to speak for himself.

(1)What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? (2) You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. (3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 

(4) You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (5) Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? (6) But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 

(7) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (9) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. (10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 

(11) Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. (12) There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? 

(13) Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” (14) Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (15) Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (16) As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (17) If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

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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